BBC News : Koizumi's 'assassins' get set for poll

Quote Originally Posted by BBC
Japan's prime minister, with his penchant for waltzing with movie stars and dressing down, is already known as something of a maverick.
But his latest move is probably his most controversial yet - he has lined up a raft of celebrities and political novices to run on his ticket in Sunday's election.

Many have been dubbed Mr Koizumi's "assassins" by the Japanese media because they are standing against more than 20 former members of the prime minister's own party, whom he wants removed from parliament.

Mr Koizumi is so keen to get rid of the rebels because they voted down a key reform proposal last month and he banned them from running for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as a result.

The "assassins", also dubbed "female ninjas", include Satsuki Katayama, a former Miss Tokyo University turned finance ministry bureaucrat, and Environment Minister Yuriko Koike, a household name as a one-time news anchorwoman.

They also include Takafumi Horie, an internet entrepreneur known for his spiky hair and brash image. Although he is technically running as an independent, Mr Horie is a keen supporter of the prime minister.
...
Makiko Fujino, a celebrity chef whom Mr Koizumi is hoping will unseat the Democratic Party (DPJ) incumbent in South Nagoya, has freely admitted that she cannot debate on any subject except food.
Is that American style politics ? Mixing entertainment and political decisions that affect hundreds of millions of people ? At least we can't blame Koizumi for not trying to radically change the face of Japanese politics by firing the old guard and giving a new lease of life to the party. Anyway, as the leader of a party makes the decision for the whole party in Japan, this can only makes the matter easier for Koizumi afterwards. The freshers are probably not going to stand against his decisions like the old guard did.

Mr Koizumi's strategy is risky because the electorate, faced with a choice between inexperienced LDP candidates and former LDP members with now limited political clout, may hand their votes to the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).
Let's hope so.

That new LDP would also potentially count far more women among its ranks - most of Mr Koizumi's "assassins" are female, and the ruling party has also put women top of all 11 proportional-representation blocks.
So Mr wannabe Richard Geere wants a harem in his cabinet ?

Critics of the "assassins" plan have accused Mr Koizumi of pulling a cheap stunt which values style over substance.
This is probably going to work even more than with a US audience. So many Japanese are so completely ignorant of politics that style will prime over substance.