During last week’s visits with various Western leaders, Koizumi was much less affirmative than he’s been since taking office in April. Just as easily as he changed his clothing style to blend with his host (Ralph Lauren shirt and chinos for the White House stopover with President George W. Bush), Koizumi eased his stance on Kyoto, saying he was “not disappointed” with Washington’s opposition to the treaty. Tokyo’s Asahi newspaper criticized the previously untouchable prime minister, saying critical matters like Kyoto were barely even addressed during the Bush encounter.
Then in London, Koizumi and Prime Minister Tony Blair discussed Europe’s desire to go it alone on Kyoto. But Koizumi wasn’t willing to commit to the same path. “It is still too early to leave the United States behind,” he said. He took the same line in his next meeting, with French President Jacques Chirac.
Why is Koizumi suddenly bowing to America like so many prime ministers before him? Some analysts believe he was simply overwhelmed in his first state visit to the White House. More likely, Koizumi had more than the environment on his mind. He must win upper-house parliamentary elections at the end of this month if his government is to survive. To that end, he has sidetracked most issues, including Kyoto, and worked hard to convince his constituents–who remain in overwhelming support of their prime minister despite last week’s events–that he has a plan to fix the Japanese economy. If he wins the upper-house elections, he will be able to resume the ambitious posture of “Koizumi the Lionheart” on a much broader range of issues. If a stronger Koizumi government emerges, George W. Bush probably hasn’t heard Japan’s last word on the global environment.
