Shinjiro Koizumi’s Shocking Display of Rudeness to His Boss Sparks Outrage and Discussion on Japan’s Future

“The raw material for plastic is petroleum. Surprisingly, this is not widely known.” (March 18, 2021, on J-WAVE’s “JAM THE WORLD”)

“To tackle big issues like climate change, it needs to be fun, cool, and sexy.” (September 2019, at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York)

“The act of explaining what it means is not sexy.” (In response to questions about the true meaning of the previous statement)

“The reason the answer is 46%—it’s not entirely clear. It came to mind vaguely.” (April 23, 2021, on TBS’s “NEWS23” in response to a question about greenhouse gas reduction targets)

Shinjiro Koizumi, the former Environment Minister known for his dazzling white smile and perplexing remarks delivered with a refreshing tone, has caused confusion among those around him.

 

Initially, Mr. Koizumi was scheduled to hold a press conference on August 30 to announce his candidacy for the LDP leadership election. However, he announced a one-week delay due to the approach of Typhoon No. 10. In reality, the situation changed when Taro Kono, the Minister for Digital Affairs, who had held a press conference earlier, demonstrated a strict response to the issue of factional slush funds by stating, “We will rectify the issue by returning the amounts not reported in the political funds income and expenditure report.” This response led to the situation where “we had no choice but to reconsider the strategy” (according to a close associate of Mr. Koizumi).

 

If strict measures are taken, public opinion could be supportive, but members from the former Abe and Nikai factions who have been penalized for similar issues might not be pleased. The question remains whether Koizumi will align himself with the public or the political circles of Nagatacho. 

It goes without saying, but his father is former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (82), his brother is actor Kotaro Koizumi (46), and his wife is Christel Takigawa (46), making him part of a glamorous family. Even among the LDP, which has many hereditary politicians and former celebrities, his presence stands out. The media coverage is so intense that he is often compared to John F. Kennedy, who became the President of the United States at 43.

On the other hand, his legislative experience spans 15 years, and he has only held the position of Minister of the Environment. As indicated by the concerns from his endorsers about his policy stances, the current focus is on how he will handle debates effectively.