Sep 26, 2019 (Nikkei) - Rarely has a single politician so embodied the aspirations, fears and cynicism of a nation as Japan’s Shinjiro Koizumi.
The telegenic son of a popular former prime minister seems to mix the most dashing and optimistic parts of leaders such as John F. Kennedy, Tony Blair -- before the Iraq War -- and Justin Trudeau -- before his current racism scandal.
In naming Koizumi as environment minister, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe clearly hoped the 38-year-old’s star power would reinvigorate a government devoid of energy, and perhaps even set up a succession plan that excites voters.
As modernizers go, Koizumi is already delighting the masses. When his wife, TV personality Christel Takigawa, gives birth to their child, Koizumi may take paternity leave -- a rarity in work-obsessed Japan. He favors greater gender balance in the developed world’s most paternalistic society.
But Koizumi’s real impact could be rebooting Abe’s economic reform ambitions.
Like his father Junichiro, Koizumi favors shifting Japan’s energy mix from nuclear power to renewables. Whether he prevails is an open question. But Tokyo may be on the cusp of the biggest transformation of the Abe era: an energy pivot that creates new wealth, jobs and a brighter economic future.
Shinjiro Koizumi and Christel Takigawa talk to reporters on Aug. 7 in Tokyo after announcing their engagement. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
It will not be simple. The Japanese have long fancied their nation a leader in sustainability -- it was home, after all, to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol climate-change deal. It was quite a reality check, then, when Japan was effectively barred from speaking at this week’s U.N. Climate Summit in New York because Tokyo’s increasing coal use is out of step with the global mood.
Koizumi did not help things in New York with comments that critics claim validated fears he is more style than substance. His talk of making the climate change debate "sexy" and "fun" earned broad ridicule on social media. So did hawking Tokyo’s talking point that "clean coal" is a real thing.
Let us, however, dare to dream for a moment. Koizumi could be the best hope Japan has had in the Abe era to thrust the economy into the 21st century.
