JAPAN'S POSTAL REFORMS AND THE NEO-LIBERAL ZEAL OF APPROVAL

When Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro called a snap election in 2005, he was responding to obstruction from within his own government over reform of the Japanese postal system. Koizumi gambled but winning meant he could claim democratic approval for his reform agenda. But how much of his victory was 'approval', and what might be attributed to Koizumi's 'charisma'? The answer to that question has enormous implications for Japan and the neo-liberal project. This article considers the premise that this election might be symptomatic of David Harvey's 'construction of consent', and the use of the political-economic milieu by political leaders to press a particular ideology. It argues for caution over this electoral 'victory' and that Koizumi's successor(s) may inherit a picture not necessarily of their own making, but one that will demand they cultivate their own bases of consent if they are to continue to carry forward the project.