[interview] Prime Minister Koizumi,: Please Don't Hesitate to Change Your Policy!

Shizuka Kamei: Member of the House of Representatives

Born in1936, he graduated from the Tokyo University Department of Economics in 1960. He joined the National Police Agency in 1962, and left that office in 1977. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1979. He has been Chairman of the Policy Affairs Research Council of the Liberal Democratic Party, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Transportation, Minister for Transportation, and Minister for Construction.

Mr.Kamei who lost the election for president of the LDP to Mr. Koizumi last April is now recognized as to be a member of the opposition to the Koizumi government within the LDP. Mr.Kamei is in disagreement with the Koizumi government on many points. One of them is advocating the stimulation of demand through government financing, as opposed to the Koizumi Cabinet's disciplined finance line by limiting the issuance of deficit government bonds to less than 30 trillion yen.

Some observers predict that the Koizumi administration's structural reform line will be nullified by its plunging opinion pole that was triggered by the firing of Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka. If this is the case it will force Koizumi to compromise with his opposition within the LDP. Mr. Kamei is sharply against to the Koizumi administration, "We have no intention to resist his reforms. You can’t resist something that has no content." He fears that if the public actually believes that there is a reform boom where there is none, it will invite further financial crisis.

Those in the market and Mr.Kamei believe that doing nothing will be a disaster, but there is extreme disagreement on what should be done.

Those in the market are requesting a clear message that the speed of structural reform will be increased and implemented with determination. Mr.Kamei, however, wants to stick to traditional methods of creating demand in order to reduce the risk of economic instability. In his opinion, taking a hard line on bad loans and maintaining an austere financial line while private sectors are in trouble causes the weakening of the economy. Mr.Kamei alleges that, just the opposite, these are the conditions under which public investment should be increased. Japan still lags behind on social infrastructure compared with Western Europe and the United States, and still has room for public investment.

He also regards the abolishment of preliminary review by the ruling party, now one of key elements of reform, as ideological claptrap. To him it is vital that the party give preliminary affirmation to any legislation proposed by that party’s government because, in a parliamentary cabinet system, the ruling party has the responsibility to pass legislation through the Diet.