Reform Victory in Japan

The Japan Times Online

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was the big winner in the elections to the Lower House of the Diet of Japan on Sunday.

At the time of writing, his LDP had won 280 of the 480 seats. That's a big increase from the 212 seats it had previously.

But even more important is that the back has probably been broken on all those that have opposed and delayed the necessary reforms that Prime Minister Koizumi has been pressing for. The LDP might have turned into more of a reform party than was the case before.

'Prospects for the Japanese economy were already improving. With this election result, they are certainly not going to get worse.

Rather the other way around.