Rising LDP star Koizumi to announce party leadership bid next week

Rising LDP star Koizumi 

What a load of grotesque silly wording. Star? The dude is as stupid and dumb as his father. The only reason is getting paid with tax payers money to finance his luxury life is because of his father. Japanese nepotism at its best.

The younger the better, Go Mr. Koizumi Go. Best of luck sir.

Upside: having a leader whose thought processes would hopefully actually be based in the present time (as opposed to the Showa period where some of those old crusties still appear to live),

Downside: Yet another "dynasty" PM.

I don't get why the criticism of Koizumi being a son of a former plitician/PM... is not unusual, the US has two pairs of Father/son presidents. the current prime minister of Italy too... and so I think many PMs and presidents around the world.

What matter is if they are capable and bringht.. and a plus in this case if they are young.

Although I have to admit, I also appreciate a lot Mr. Ishiba.

I don't get why the criticism of Koizumi being a son of a former plitician/PM... is not unusual, the US has two pairs of Father/son presidents. the current prime minister of Italy too... 

Italy PM Giorgia Meloni is not connected to any former Prime Ministers, as far as I know.

Happy to be corrected if wrong.

Italy PM Giorgia Meloni is not connected to any former Prime Ministers, as far as I know.

I'm sorry... for some reason I though he was a politician.... he was just a mob businessman... my aplogies

The younger the better, Go Mr. Koizumi Go. Best of luck sir.

This is true, however with the "grey population", a young person will never win. With age comes the most experience and wisdom, says my Japanese father in law who has no education, was always poor, and had questionable jobs.

Right. The guy who said that environmental issues needed to be more sexy. Another second generation politician. It's a family business in Japan, just what we need. Vote LDP, you get LDP.

EstatesmanAug. 28  06:35 pm JST

With age comes the most experience and wisdom…

most people never cross over the bridge to wisdom, regardless of age. some are smart, but wisdom is rare.

same with experience. many people have been doing something for decades, but only repeating what they learned in the their first six months for decades with no further study.

they can play the notes for twinkle twinkle little star on the piano very well after decades, but that’s the extent of their repertoire.

It's a ping pong between Koizumi and Abe faction, with no real changes coming to Japan...

Upside: having a leader whose thought processes would hopefully actually be based in the present time (as opposed to the Showa period where some of those old crusties still appear to live),

Downside: Yet another "dynasty" PM.

In other words, his mind is in the showa era. Plenty of 20 years olds minds are in the Showa era.

As I am also a son of my father, maybe that is enough to qualify and make me a star too. lol

I know people who worked in the Ministry of the Environment when he held that portfolio. They say he really does love the environment, especially the environment on some South Pacific Island where he can surf.

How can any Japanese politician be described as a "star"? Ridiculous.

Please tell me what he has ever done with his two hands and/or his intellectual capacities.

Oh nothing. Well thanks, well noted.

Japan is cool country, where no one can be a star just because you have a father.

As ludicrous as it can be. Blue bood stains.

In my country, among first youtubers, one's credo was "by doing anything you could become anybody" (as good as translation goes).

politicians are the same across the universe.

Just for the looks people will vote for him.

Sick of all these entitled inheritance politicians.

Daniel NeagariAug. 28  06:13 pm JST

I don't get why the criticism of Koizumi being a son of a former plitician/PM... is not unusual, the US has two pairs of Father/son presidents. the current prime minister of Italy too... and so I think many PMs and presidents around the world.

What matter is if they are capable and bringht.. and a plus in this case if they are young.

It's endemic in Japanese politics, especially in the LDP, because they've made sure running for office is extremely expensive in order to keep out the riff-raff. You need a Y3 million deposit for a single-seat candidacy and another Y6 million for a PR block candidacy, and politicians are able to raise private donations, which should be against the law, through heading "political organisations," which can receive donations.

When politicians retire they can pass on their accumulated money piles to their sons or daughters, who will have got into the best private schools and universities, spent a year or two in private sector sinecures and then a few more years as "private secretaties" to their parents, and are then guaranteed to be on the party ticket. As older voters favour stability and what they're familiar with, and still have a feudal mindset due being only a few generations removed from serfs, they often vote for the candidate with the same family name as the last one.

So - if people such as Shinjiro Koizumi, a 4th generation Diet Member, aren't capable and bright it really doesn't matter to them at all.

We can be tempted to get excited by news sites about a possible female or young PM, but you just know it’s going to end about with Ishiba.

I have always suffered from being a cynical political "Doubting Thomas", confirmed from a short term student arrangement as a researcher for politician's, whilst earning a guinea to pay my college debts.

I question whether past, present, future J Prime Minsters, are "Prime Minsters" in name only.

The "slush fund" scandal, the refusal to fully submit to an independent statutory enquiry.

The old guard factions, still in control of every aspect of policy and government.

Every recent election, candidate after candidate pledging and promising reforms, yet the sovereign debt interest grows, depopulation continues unabated, wage growth for society most venerable stagnates.

Reform to employment, to childcare, to the economy remain illusive.

Yet would I want to live anywhere else?

No I would not.

I have just returned for my first trip to New York, it is impressive, the people inspiring, it was lifetime experience.

Home is where the heart is, Kochi is everything that New York is not. safe, serene, polite, predictable. .

Kyodo news asserts that Shinjiro Koizumi is a “rising star” yet gives absolutely no proof of the reason for his ‘rising stardom.’

JT mindlessly repeats the article on its site.

Apart from being keen on the odd about face then what is Koizumi being promoted -as a “rising star” for?

kurisupisuToday  12:34 pm JST

Apart from being keen on the odd about face then what is Koizumi being promoted -as a “rising star” for?

Being a Diet Member who's also the son of a cabinet minister or prime minister is generally all that's required for "rising star" status in the LDP.

Much respect for his father but he is a typical fils-a-papa.

complete failure exploiting his fathers good name and image.

This guy may be for the future, when he's accrued far more experience and held some of the top ministerial posts, but for now, for me, I reckon Taro Kono to be the most experienced, charismatic and competent person to become the next PM.

He'll certainly be taken seriously, as an intellectual and shrewd operator, and his endearingly quirky personality will prove to be an advantage.

He looks good, but his words and actions from when he was Minister of the Environment make me hesitate to support him. Also, it wasn't his fault that plastic bags became chargeable, but there is distrust that he could have stopped it.

When Koreans criticize Japanese politics, they often criticize second-generation politicians. Second-generation politicians are elected in democratic elections, aren't they?

I don't understand that criticism at all.

This much is going for him: he's not 92. Younger politicians may shake things up a bit. Good, bad, whatever. He doesn't live in the fairy tale past.

Gene HennighToday  12:49 am JST

This much is going for him: he's not 92. Younger politicians may shake things up a bit.

He's been on the political scene for a while now and he's not shaken much up yet. He's kind of dropped out of sight actually.

Agent_NeoAug. 29  09:13 pm JST

When Koreans criticize Japanese politics

This bit is also irrelevant and racist. Plenty of people criticise Japanese politics, including Japanese people themselves, but this poster singles out Koreans because he clearly hates them.