Junichiro Koizumi

Koizumi Junichiro (Japanese: Koizumi Junichiro/ Junichiro, Romanized: Koizumi Jun'ichirō, January 8, 1942 -) is a Japanese politician, the 87th-89th Prime Minister of Japan (Prime Minister). He is Japan's fourth longest-serving Prime Minister since the end of World War II. He is also the longest-serving Prime Minister since Yasuhiro Nakasone resigned in 1987 and before Shinzo Abe became Prime Minister again in 2012. In the eyes of many Japanese, Junichiro Koizumi, the former president of the Liberal Democratic Party, is a representative of the reformists: he once ignored the opposition within the party and vigorously promoted the postal privatization reform, even at the risk of his own political life. In the 2005 general election, Koizumi led the Liberal Democratic Party, which had been demoralized for many years, to a resounding victory, and his political career reached its peak. Junichiro Koizumi actively reached a strategic partnership with the US government, which improved and strengthened Japan-US relations during his term as Prime Minister. In addition, Koizumi also actively supported the dispatch of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, which was Japan's first overseas military operation after World War II. In contrast, Koizumi's diplomacy with China, South Korea, and Russia has not achieved significant results. He has been entangled in the territorial disputes over the four northern islands and the Yasukuni Shrine dispute. During his term of office, he ignored the objections of neighboring countries and visited the shrine six times, causing high dissatisfaction between China and South Korea. However, despite this, his historical stance basically follows the Murayama Statement. The Koizumi government has not shied away from admitting its responsibility for the aggression. He is the first Prime Minister of the Liberal Democratic Party to express support for the trial of war criminals. Therefore, scholars believe that in addition to the traditional Japanese religious views, his visit to the shrine may also be related to the memory of his cousin (who is on the list of shrines), rather than a political purpose. Junichiro Koizumi was once Japan's longest-serving prime minister since Eisaku Sato in 1972, until this record was broken by Shinzo Abe in 2019. He was also Japan's prime minister with the highest public support after the war, and he enjoyed high public support until he left office in 2006. However, in 2008, after Taro Aso, who was in conflict with Junichiro Koizumi's political views, was overwhelmingly elected as the 23rd president of the Liberal Democratic Party and the 92nd prime minister of the cabinet, Junichiro Koizumi announced his retirement from politics.