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Like father, like son

Published: 10 Sep. 2024, 20:00

JUNG WON-SEOK
The author is a Tokyo correspondent of JTBC.

“There is a lot of concern that if you become Japan’s prime minister and go to the G7 summit, you will be humiliated because of your low level of intelligence,” a freelance journalist said to former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at a press conference on Sept. 6. While Koizumi was speaking with a grim expression under the slogan “solution,” he was caught on camera biting his lip after hearing the comment.

It all started five years ago when he responded to a question about climate change by saying that measures tackling the issue should be “fun, cool, sexy.” The moment went viral online, and the image of being “dumb” stuck to him.

With a series of television debate scheduled, the Liberal Democratic Party is concerned that his true colors would be revealed. But it doesn’t seem impossible that Koizumi wins the election and becomes the prime minister of Japan. Wherever he goes, his appearance makes news, and he gets media coverage. On Sept. 7, shortly after announcing his bid for the premiership, Koizumi made a public speech in Ginza, Tokyo. He shouted, “I would reform the party that only pursues reforms accepted by the vested interest.” The Koizumi camp told the Nihon Keizai Shimbun that more than 5,000 people gathered for the speech that day. But I was at the scene and estimated the crowd to be about 1,000 people, excluding the floating population such as foreign tourists.

If he becomes the prime minister of Japan, there will be concerns around foreign policy, including Korea-Japan relations. His father Junichiro Koizumi, 82, visited the Yasukuni Shrine during his term as prime minister (2001-2006), drawing strong criticism from Korea and China. As Shinjiro Koizumi also visited the shrine on Aug. 15 this year, a reporter asked whether he would visit the place even when he becomes prime minister. He said, “I will make proper judgments for the future,” adding, “It’s natural to express gratitude and respect for those who gave their lives for the country.”

While he would say that it was natural to express gratitude to patriots, does he really think the faults of the imperial era can be covered up with the expression of “gratitude?” His “solution” doesn’t seem to include the difficult issues between the two countries. In fact, he never mentioned “Korea” in announcing his candidacy.