Japan's Ldp May Be Going Back To The Bad Old Days
Hashimoto's crusade for economic reform is now a lost cause
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Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto had no choice but to cave in. His misguided attempt to bring Koko Sato into his Cabinet to the crucial post of reforming and slimming the civil service finally fizzled on Sept. 22. Sato, convicted in 1986 for taking a $16,000 bribe in the 1970s Lockheed scandal, resigned, and a grim-faced Hashimoto bowed toward TV cameras and apologized to the nation for his "lack of insight."
The incident shows that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) notorious faction-driven dealmaking is again alive and well. That's bad news for the LDP's leader, because it means that his crusade for economic reform is now a lost cause.