New Japanese PM will reform

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has chosen one of the leading advocates of privatisation and reform to be the country’s new prime minister. While Junichiro Koizumi comes from the same faction as the former very conservative prime minister Yoshiro Mori, he has consistently advocated structural reform as a member of the Japanese cabinet. And for some years his pet project has been privatisation of post office services, including the kampo life insurance system.