Shinjiro Koizumi Tops Poll for Japan's Next Prime Minister
According to a joint opinion poll conducted by the
Sankei Shimbun
and FNN (Fuji News Network) on June 14 and 15, Shinjiro Koizumi is the people's choice to be Japan's next prime minister. The current Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister finished
at the
top of the poll with 20.7% of the vote, 4.3% ahead of the former Minister of State for Economic Security Sanae
Takaichi
. Koizumi finished behind
Takaichi
in May's poll.
List of Contents:
The Return of Shinjiro Koizumi
Falling Rice Prices
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The Return of Shinjiro Koizumi
It's been quite a turnaround for the 44-year-old son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. After finishing third in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race last September, some wrote off his prospects. He was seen as too inexperienced; a politician who spoke a good game, but lacked substance. Following last year's disappointing election result, he was appointed the LDP's election chief, but resigned when the party suffered a significant loss in October's Lower House election.
Away from the political spotlight for several months, Koizumi made his return in May. Taku Eto's position as Agriculture Minister became untenable after he said that he 'never had to buy rice' as he got it free from supporters. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba subsequently replaced him with Koizumi. 'I was instructed to put rice before anything. At this difficult time, I will do my utmost to address the high rice prices that people are struggling with daily,' the former Environment Minister
told
reporters.
Falling Rice Prices
The appointment brought immediate results. The average price of rice has been steadily decreasing nationwide. On Monday, the Agricultural Ministry
announced
that it fell ¥48 from the previous week to ¥4,176 per 5 kilograms. That's the third consecutive week it has decreased. In late May, stockpiled rice harvested in 2021 and 2022 was put on sale through no-bid contracts. Supplies quickly sold out as long lines of customers waited to buy the cheaper grain.
Commenting on Koizumi's policies, Hiroshi Shiratori, a professor of political science at Hosei University,
said
, 'He's been more effective at capturing the public imagination than the LDP expected. If the LDP can win the elections, lawmakers may begin to see him as their best option as leader.'
Koizumi certainly appears to be a lot more popular with the public than the current prime minister. Ishiba finished third in the
Sankei Shimbun
and FNN poll with 7.9% of the votes. Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda came fourth with 6.8%, ahead of former Foreign Minister Taro Kono (4.2%), Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki (4.1%) and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (2.4%).
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