You Are On Your Own Now

The other shoe drops...and with a boom.

Former Japanese PM Koizumi to retire - media
Reuters

TOKYO - Former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi will retire from political life at the next general election, Jiji news agency and Tokyo Broadcasting System said on Thursday...

Now the Koizumi Children are truly on their own...which may not be such a bad thing. With Koizumi still a senior member of the Liberal Democratic Party, it was essentially impossible for any of his followers to bail out. The press would have accused the Koizumi Korps of rank opportunism, of riding to power on the LDP ticket, then abandoning the party when reelection troubles loomed.

Now the barrier is raised. No one can say, "How can you go when Koizumi is willing to stay in the LDP?" because the celebrated Mr. K has announced his retirement from politics.

If Koike Yuriko, Takebe Tsutomu and Nakagawa Hidenao are still in the LDP in a month's time I will be shocked.

It's Asō Tarō's party now. There is nothing left in it for the Real Reformists.

Later - The trips down Memory Lane are already up.