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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Hosokawa Cabinet made a racket at midnight〉

It was in a press conference at midnight December in the year when Hosokawa became the Prime Minister when the prompter appearedh for the first time.

Then Hosokawa decided to accept an agreement on agriculture concerned Uruguay`s miltilateral trade including partial importing rice from Uruguay, and announded it.

The press conference started before a.m.4：00, for its plan over acceptance on the agreement wasn`t decided until the midnight.

The Hosokawa political power was a coalition formed by eight political...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Hosokawa Cabinet made a racket at midnight〉

The Hosokawa government was a coalition formed by eight political parties, and if trying to speak ill of it,it was a group of scratched people.

As they have different view on politcs, they belonged to different political parties each other, but all of them joined into one group and tried to carry out the politics, so they were forced to have conflicting opininons often, and it came to the surface.

Every time the members on the Cabinet got into an imbroglio, they had to do the press conference at midnight.

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Hosokawa Cabinet made a racket at midnight〉

So it was often said that the Hosokawa Cabinet made a racket at midnight.

Each of opinion confronted in a varied ways in the coalition government, and it took much time to compromise.

Japan was different from Europe which had enough experience on the coalition government, and whenever the Cabinet encountered obstaceles, the Japanese went through for the first time one by one.

It was a good chance for both the political party and the people to learn how the coalition government was.

There was a...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Hosokawa Cabinet made a racket at midnight〉

There was a confrontation over opinions in the coalition government, especially the ones between the Socialist Party and other Parties were paid attention.

Shinseito, Nihon shinto and Sakigake used to be conservative political parties originally. There were lots of members in national assembly belonged to the Liberal Democratic Party for a long time in the three political parties, therefore there were lots of things which the Socialist Party couldn`t allow as a position of the opposition party.

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Hosokawa Cabinet made a racket at midnight〉

However even if executives in the Socialist Party tried to compromise, there was a pressure from inside the Socialist Party and groups supporting the Socialist Party.

What about the plan which you`ve held for a long time?

The executives who tried to look for a point of compromise were worried about it, especially the Socialist Party argued whether or not the Hosokawa Cabinet allowed to import rice from Uruguay to Japan.

The meeting reached in the midnight and the headquarters of the Socialist party was...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Hosokawa Cabinet made a racket at midnight〉

...and the headquarters of the Socialist Party was surrounded by groups on agricultre which sought for resusal on importing rice.

Then Murayama chairperson said that the Socialist Party is opposed to it, but accepts that the Prime Minister decieded, and accepted the plan on the coalition government.

Decision on the plan by the Socialist Party dragged on into the midnight and a temporary Hosokawa Cabinet meeting ended at a.m.3：00, and the press conference by the Prime Minister started so late.

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Socialist Party which accepted everything〉

I thought the Self-Defense Force is against the constitution as myself, but I don`t think so, as a member of the Cabinet minister.

When being asked on a recognition of the Self-Defense Force in the National Assembly, a member in national assembly which was a minister in the coalition government belonged to the Socialist Party answered like that.

When the Hosokawa coaliton Cabinet started, the eight political parties made a memorandum with which they agreed, and they accepted to approve the policy until then.

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Socialist Party which accepted everything〉

On the other hand, the Socialist Party regarded the Self-Defense Force as an existence against the constitution, and insisted that destroying the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty and establishing Japan which is unarmed and nuetrality. It was basic plan of the Socialist Party.

Succeeding to the policy until then means that obeying the plan which the Liberal Democratic Party held until then with regard to the Self-Defense Force or the U.S-Japan Security Treaty.

As a result, the Socialist Party fell into a hard position.

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Socialist Party which approved of everything〉

The Socialist Party was forced to approve of everything which was different from their basic plan as usual so as to maintain the coalition givernment, so it was severely criticized that it was opposed to everything when being the opposition party, but it accepted everything when coming into power.

Some people said ironically that the Socialist Party was the snow stuck to at the back of the geta which is Japanese footwear.

Even if they found it hard to accept, without withdrawing from the coalition...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Socialist Party which accepted everything〉

Even if the Socialist Party found it hard to accept the policy, without withdrawing from the coalition government, it accepted the policy one after another.

Even if the snow is trampled on over and over again, it clung to sole of geta. The Socialist Party resembles it. Others teased like that.

They joined the political power so as to realize their ideal on politics, but they changed their insistence so as to stay in the political power. It confusing the order of things.

There were lots of the people who...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The Socialist Party which accepted everything〉

There were lots of people who supported the Socialist Party were pleased with the establishment of the political party which wasn`t the Liberal Democratic Party, but at the same time, they were disappointed with the Socialist Party`s betrayal.

After that, the Socialist Party led to ruined itself politically.

〈The formation of a system of single-seat constituency and proportional representation〉

The Miyazawa Cabinet lost the political power because it couldn`t realize the poltical reform. After that the ...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The formation that the system of single-seat constituencies and proportional representation〉

After that the Hosokawa Cabinet`s biggest aim was realizing the political reform.

Immediately after he became the Prime Minister, Hosokawa asserted that without realizing the political reform, he would take the responsibility and resign his position as the Prime Minister at the press conference.

The Hosokawa Cabinet submitted the bill on the political refrom to the national assembly September 1993.

The bill was mainly the election system of the single-seat...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The formation of the electional system of single-seat constituencies and proportional representation〉

The bill was mainly on the electional system of single-seat constituencies and proportional representation. It planned that the necessary number of both of the two system were 250 each other, and in total the necessary number were 500.

As to the proportional representation system, its electorial district was the whole nation as a single district.

There was a strong objection against the bill inside the Socialist Party, for the single-seat constituency was...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was formed】

〈The formation of the electorial system of single-seat constituencies and proportional representation〉

...for the single-seat constitunecies was advantageous to a big political party, and if being introduced, the Socialist Party would disappear. The Socialist Party had a sense impending crisis.

The executives on the Soicalist party took a position of accepting the bill so as to maintain the coalition government, and persuaded the member of the Socialist Party who were opposed to the bill.

After all the bill was adopted with lots of approvals November.

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The formation of electorial system of single-seat constitunecies and proportional representation〉

It was approved in the House of Representative, but there were lots of the members in the Socialist Party who were opposed to the bill in the House of Councilors, so the bill was rejected January in the next year.

It was the bill on the electorial system of the House of the Representatives, and the member of the House of Representatives accepted the bill, but the House of Councilors rejected, and the bill was voted down. It was strange a little.

However the...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The formation of electorial system of single-seat constituencies and proportional representations〉

However the bill must be accepted by both of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors, so it was possible.

Then the Prime Minister thought without making the bill form, he couldn`t follow through on his campaign promises when being the Prime Minister.

So he thought even if he changed the content on the bill, he tried to form the bill, so he made a compromise to the Liberal Democratic Party.

He accepted a demand for reform by the Liberal...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The formation of an electorial system of single-seat constituencies and proportional representations〉

Hosokawa accepted the demand on reform from the Liberal Democratic Party without objecting at all with a summit conference by then the president of Yohe Kono.

The necessary member in the single-seat constitunecies were 300 and in the proportional representation were 200, and the proportional representations were divided into 11 blocks in the whole nation. It was clearly advantageous to the Liberal Democratic Party.

The small electorial system was ...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The formation of electorial system of single-seat constitunecies and proportional representation〉

The single-seat constituencies were originally advantageous to a big political party. As to the proportional representations, if the whole nation is a single unit, both of small and medium political party could make each candidate be elected.

However as it`s divided into some blocks, the big political party which had influenced over the whole nation was advantageous.

Thus the reformed bill was adopted at the both of the House of Representatives and Councilors.

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The formation of electorial system of single-seat constitunecies and proportional representation〉

A large number of the coalition government and the Liberal Democratic Party accepted the reformed bill and it was formed.

The member of the Socialist Party who were opposed the bill in the beginning rejected the bill, but it made the bill which was advantageous to the Liberal Democratic Party and disadvantageous to the Socialist Party form ironically. It was exactly suicidal for the Socialist Party.

The Socialist Party was busy with handling problems which...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈The formation of electorial system of sngle-seat constituencies and proportional reperesentation〉

The Socialist Party was so busy with handling problems which appeared in front of them one after another that there was no strategy as political party then.

『Column, a group of aiming at reforming and the other of aiming at maintaining the old situation』

After the Hosokawa Cabinet was born, its key word in reformation of electorial system was whether a group of reforming or other of maintaining the old situation.

Ichiro Ozawa who was away from the ...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

『Column, a group aimed at reforming and other aimed at maintain the old situation』

Ichiro Ozawa who was away from the Liberal Democratic Party insisted on like the next.

We have to reform the electorial system in order to abolish money politics. The people who were opposed to the reform on the system are the ones who stick to old ways. They maintain the old situation.

The phrase was aware widely among the soceity, and the member in national assembly who pointed out a problem on the new ways on the electorial system and cricicized were called maintained ...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

『Column, a group aimed at reforming and other aimed at maintained the old situation』

...and the member in national assembly who pointed out a problem on new electorial system and criticised were called the ones who maintained the old situation.

〈A plan for a new tax so as to make the nation be happy suddenly appeared〉

Immediately after the bill on reforming the politics were formed February in 1994, the Hosokawa Cabineet held a press conference in the midnight which was an established custom.

It announced that it would raise the consumption tax from 3% to 7%

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈A plan for a new tax which make the nation be happy suddenly appeared〉

Takemura the Chief Cabinet Secretary who supported the Cabinet wasn`t present at the press conference then.

He was informed the plan immediately before the press conference, but was repelled by the plan, and didn`t attend and showed he was oppoesed to the plan.

The scene showed us a severe crack in the Hosokawa Cabinet.

Other press conference for the Chief Cabinet Secretary was held in the next day, and Takemura showed he was clearly against the plan.

The Ministry of Finance thought...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈A plan for a new tax which makes the nation be happy suddenly appeared〉

The Ministry of Finance thought if the consumption tax remained 3%, the financial affairs in Japan would be in difficulty, and consulted with Ichiro Ozawa, and without informing Takemura and other executives in the coalition government, Ozawa planned it.

Then Takemura and Ozawa frequently stood in opposition over their political ways, and Hosokawa was away from Takemura who was intimated with Hosokawa since the Hosokawa Cabinet started, and Hosokawa was given advice from Ozawa frequently.

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈A plan for a new tax which makes the nation be happy appeared suddenly〉

However the plan for the new tax which made the nation be happy was very suddenly.

The reporters asked Hosokawa a ground on the 7% in the press conference, but Hosokwaw didn`t show any clear ground.

Both the bureaucrats in the Ministry of Fiance and the reporters were surprised at the Prime Minister`s careless remark.

Hosokawa announced the remarks from the Ministry of Finance as it was, and the Prime Minister himself didn`t consider it carefully. It was disclosed.

Then a word of...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈A plan for a new tax which made the nation be happy appeared suddenly〉

A word of fuzzy was popular among the Japanese then. It means something unlcear, and Hosokawa was called a fuzzy Prime Minister. He started to show himself at his worst in this sort of work.

The press conference started to make the nation suspect Hosokawa on the nature for the Prime Minister.

Not only Takemura but other Cabinet ministers in the Socialist Party were opposed to the plan for the new tax which made the nation be happy.

After all Hosokawa withdrew it at once, and a crack...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈A plan for a new tax which made the nation be happy appeared suddenly〉

Hosokawa withdrew the plan at once and a crack alone remained inside the Hosokawa Cabinet.

Some political parties which had different thought gathered so as to realize the political reform and the coalition government was formed.

As a reslut, after the bill on the political reform was formed, the significance on the gathering was lost.

The crack didn`t stay on only the plan for the new tax but reach among the political parties in the ruling party, especially criticism was gathered on...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈A plan for new tax which made the nation be happy appeared suddenly〉

...especially criticism gathered on Ichiro Ozawa who belonged to the Shinseito, for his political way was too secretive and forcible.

An opposite structure between Ozawa and anti Ozawa was born inside the coalition government.

〈Hosokawa Prime Minister suddenly resigned from the political power〉

Hosokawa suddenly called the party leader and representatives in the ruling party and told them he would resign from the Prime Minister April in 1994. The Hosokawa Cabinet continued for eight months

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈Hosokawa suddenly resigned from the Prime Minister〉

The reporters didn`t know why the party leaders and representatives in the ruling party gathered, so they surrounded the Murayama chairperson in the Socialist Party who came out of the meeting and asked what kind of gathering was done.

Murayama was struck dumb with amazement and answered that Hosokawa would resign from the Prime Minister. The scene was caught by the TV camera.

There was a shout that the Prime Minister`s resignation? And reporters who surrounded Murayama scattered, and started running...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈Hosokawa resigned from the Prime Minister〉

...and started to running for their newspaper companies all together.

If it were at present, they would take out their cell phones, but then the cell phone has seldom spread over the people. The author said he was aware keenly that the time passed quickly.

Immediately after it, Hosokawa held a news conference and he said it proved that making use of his money for himself had a problem on the law, and he showed his resignation from the Prime Minister formally.

There was a suspicion that he was received a hundred...

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【Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈Hosokawa resigned from the Pirme Minister〉

There was a suspicion that Hosokawa received a hundred million yen from a transportation company called Sagawa Kyubin.

The Liberal Democratic Party which was the opposition party grilled Hosokawa in the national assembly.

The Liberal Democratic Party was frequently grilled by the Socialist Party which was the opposition party before the Hosokawa Cabinet was formed. Their positions were reversed.

Hosokawa made excuse that he borrowed a hundred million yen at one time and after that he returned the money, but it was a...

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【Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈Hosokawa resigned from the Prime Minister〉

...but it was a copy of receipt of ten million yen which he submitted to the national assembly as proof he returned the a hundred million yen. Moreover there was no stamp of receiving the money.

Not only the political party which supported the coalition government but the Liberal Democratic Party and the nation were surprised at Hosokawa`s resignation from the Prime Minister.

He served two terms as a governor in Kumamoto prefecture and gained a high approval rating from the people in Kumamoto prefecture, but he...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈Hosokawa resigned from the Prime Minister〉

...but Hosokawa didn`t run for the governor after that. Lots of the people in Kumamoto prefecture thought he gave up the position of the Prime Minister this time.

It is often said he resembled Fumimaro Konoe who was his grandfather in his mother`s side. Konoe also resigned from the Prime Minister immediately before the Pacific War. As to the situation, they resemble very much.

There is a political journalist who observed twelve Prime Ministers from Eisaku Sato. He said Hosokawa is the hardest one to understand ...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈Hosokawa resigned from the Prime Minister〉

The political journalist said Hosokawa is the harder one to understand than any other Prime Ministers.

The ones who knew Hosokawa called him like the next.

He listened to a person immediately before, and he spoke it to other person as if it had occurred to him.

When a bureaucrat went to report him on the present situation, Hosokawa often said, what should I do then?

He was received from a cheer from the nation and came into power. He was proud of high approval rating and looked good with his behaviors in an...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈Hosokawa resigned from the Prime Minister〉

...and he looked good with his behaviors in an international stage, but suddenly resigned from the Prime Minister. He was so fuzzy, it means unclear, that not only the political journalist but lots of the Japanese coundn`t understand him.

After that, he disbanded the Nihon shinto and changed the political parties which he belonged to one after another. He suddenly resigned from the member in national assembly April in 1998.

He said he decided to resign at the age of sixty as an end in the press conference.

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈Hosokawa resigned from the Prime Minister〉

Hosokawa gave up in unfinished situation again.

He may have said he didn`t cling to the politic world from his aesthetic point of view, but no one could understand him at all.

After retiring from the political life, he sometimes showed up in a gravure of a weekly magazine for a female.

When looking at the gravure, a writer of non fiction said like the next.

When looking at him in a photo, he was cheerful and refined. Even if sitting comfortably in a Japanese style room, standing in a workplace of a ceramic art...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈Hosokawa resigned from the Prime Minister〉

...standing in a workplace of ceramic art in worn out shirt, wrapping a cup of tea in his hand in a tea room, his smile was full of life.

Oh! We were fascinated with his good looking of this and supported him. When remembering it, and we sighed deeply at what he had done as Prime Minister.

The non fiction writer said like that.

The Hosokawa government was over and the coalition government came into the second stage. The 1955 system was collapsed by the Hosokawa Government. What was the 1955 system?

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

『Column, though he could return the money, why did he borrow it?』

The author used to be in charge of a TV program, what is called 週間子供ニュース, and he explained a news in plain terms for children.

Then a viewer who was a school children in an elementary school asked the author a question.

Hosokawa had enough money to return at once, but he borrow the money. Why?

Hosokawa`s excuse was so strange that the child asked the question keenly.

After making sure with Hosokawa`s office, the author answered.

Hosokawa needed the money so as to repair his house at once...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

『Column, though he could return the money, why did he borrow it?』

...but he couldn`t prepare for the money immediately, so he borrowed the money. Hosokawa said like that, but he couldn`t answer the question neatly in the national assembly, so he was forced to retire.

The author said to the child like that.

〈After that, what`s happened?〉

Koizumi finished his term as president in the Liberal Democratic Party September in 2006, the entire Koizumi Cabinet resigned. He`d been the Prime Minister for five and a half year and maintained high approval rating for...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈After that what`s happened?〉

...and maintained high approval rating for his Cabinet throughout the whole time when being the Prime Minister.

When being installed as Prime Minister, he focused his energies on the postal privatization which was his theory.

When the bill on the postal privatization was rejected at the House of Councilors, he made the House of Representation disband August in 2005.

He didn`t recognize a member in the national assembly who was opposed his theory officially as the Liberal Democratic Party, and sent a rival to its electorial...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈After that, what`s happened?〉

...and sent a rival to its electorial district. Koizumi directed a theatical politics.

If there were members in national assembly who were opposed to the postal privatization, he labelled them as resistant influence and showed us he confronted them.

After accomplishing the postal privatization, his eager to the politics lost sharply, he resigned from the political world. His second son is his successor.

A hereditary politics continued for three generation, and aimed at realizing the fourth generation.

Some people said the...

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【The Koizumi Cabinet was born】

〈After that what`s happened?〉

Some people said the Koizumi Government went ahead with his political reform resolutely, and others said various deregulations led to a society with a large gap between rich and poor.

By the way, the author said he was going to think over the 1955 system, looking over Japan after the Pacific War in the next chapter.

【Japan which is a defeated nation. A revival from ruins】

〈The nation was defeated and ruined〉

Japan surrendered to the allied force, and the war was over August in 1945. Japanese government called it the war was...

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【Japan which was a defeated nation. A revival from ruins】

〈The nation was defeated and ruined〉

The Japanese government called it that the war was over, but clearly being defeated in the war.

We the Japanese used to call the war the Great East Asia War,but America forced us to call it the Pacific War after the war, the deceased in Japanese military force reached about one million seven hundred thousand.

If adding ordinary residents who were dead by air raid of the U.S.military force, it was about two million seven hundred thousand.

Almost 4% of the whole Japanese were dead when the...

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【Japan which was a defeated nation. A revival from the ruins】

〈The nation was defeated and ruined〉

Almost 4% of the whole Japanese were dead when the Pacific War brought about in 1941. Millions of the Japanese were injured, sick in bed, suffering from malnutrition, so the whole Japan was breathing very feebly then.More than nine million people lost their houses by the air raid.

There is a phrase,国破れて山河あり, but both of the mountain and river were ruined. Trees were cut down from forests so as to make use of them as materials for the war, and the forests remained as they were,and the...

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【Japan which was a defeated nation. A revival from ruins】

〈The nation was defeated and ruined...〉

...and as the forests didn`t have water retention at all. When raining once, it became a deluge.

As being short of labor and no one could cultivate the farmland, the agriculture was destroyed. There was a poor crop in 1945 when the war was over. Moreover there was a flood in the next year. These were damaged by the war.

Agricultural product and raw materials weren`t sent from Korean Peninsula and Taiwan which used to belong to Japan because Japan was defeated in the war.

Japan was...

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【Japan which was a defeated nation. A revival from ruins】

〈The nation was defeated and ruined...〉

Japan was devastated, there were no food to eat, no residence to live, but about six million of the Japanese returned to Japan. Japan faced crisis of life or death.

〈A judge who rejected to break a law starved to death〉

Japan used to adopt a ration system in wartime. Daily necessities were rationed from food like rice, miso, soy sauce, sugar, seasoning, match, soap,and tissue paper.

Tickets of the daily necessities for the number of the people were delivered to each home, and the people...

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【Japan which was a defeated nation. A revival from the ruins】

〈A judge who rejected to break a law starved to death〉

...and the people exchanged the ncessities with the ticket. Getting the products except for a way of the ration, it was against a law.

There wasn`t any lighters then, nor an automatic ignition device was in a gas cooker, so the match was a necessary article, but Japan was defeated, the system of rationing didn`t function.

Rationing of rice was a little and substitute food like sweet potato and corn was delivered, but even the substitute food was delay in delivery and...

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【Japan which was a defeated nation. A revival from ruins】

〈A judge who rejected to break a law starved to death〉

...and even the substitute food was delay in delivery and wasn`t delivered frequently.

If being dependend on the ration, no one could get any food. The people who couldn`t be dependend on the ration were forced to get the food in a black market called yamiichi, especially the ones who lived in a city were hard to get the food.

They often went to a farming village in order to buy the food. If they had cash, they were all right, but if they didn`t, they sold their clothes and...

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【Japan which was a defeated nation. A rivival from ruins】

〈A judge who rejected to break a law starved to death〉

...and got the cash,got the necessities with the cash. They took off their clothes one after another and got the food. It resembled as if a bamboo shoot had been peeled its skin one by one, so their lives were called the one of bamboo shoot.

Then there was a shocking case in Japan. A judge in Tokyo district court was dead owing to malnutrition October in 1947.

He rejected to buy food in black market which was against the law and tried to lead his life with the rations alone.

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【Japan which was a defeated nation. A revival from the ruins】

〈A judge who rejected to break a law starved to death〉

The judge himself was in a position where he judged the people who sold and bought the food at the black market, so he thought he must not get the food which was sold in the black market which was against the law.

If saying in other words, the Japanese couldn`t lead their lives with the rations alone, without buying the food at the black market, they would be dead.

The judge left his memo, and the memo said even if it`s a bad law, it`s the law, so I had to obey it as judge.

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