Koizumi fends off no confidence move

Koizumi is facing plummeting popularity ratings

TOKYO, Japan -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's coalition government has easily beaten an opposition no-confidence motion filed against the country's agriculture minister for his handling of the recent mad cow crisis.

The motion against Tsutomu Makebe was largely symbolic as the government had enough votes to reject it.

He was criticized for what opposition parties called his irresponsible and incompetent handling of the mad cow outbreak in Japan -- the only country in Asia known to have had the disease.

However, opposition parties were keen to use the vote to embarrass Koizumi following plummeting approval ratings and a raft of bad news on the Japanese economy.

Since coming to power on a wave of popular support last April, Koizumi's public appeal has largely succeeded in keeping opposition criticism to a minimum.

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However, the dismissal last week of his controversial but popular foreign minister, Makiko Tanaka, coupled with a dramatic fall in his popular approval gave opposition parties the chance to strike -- launching their first no-confidence motion against a member of the Koizumi government.

Although it had no real chance of succeeding, the mere fact that such a motion was filed at all is being seen as taking some of the luster off Koizumi's leadership and his reformist agenda.

Under pressure

Several analysts in the Japanese media have said Tanaka's abrupt sacking raises questions about Koizumi's own leadership and his ability to push through much needed reforms.

They said the firing showed he was susceptible to pressure from conservatives inside his own party.

Agriculture Minister Tsutomu Takebe has been accused of mishandling the mad cow outbreak

Her dismissal has been widely portrayed as an unfair punishment carried out by Koizumu under pressure from bureaucrats and party elders angered at Tanaka's efforts to clean up and reform the corruption-ridden foreign ministry.

The Japanese leader named another woman, former Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, to replace Tanaka as foreign minister.

The sharp drop in the prime minister's approval ratings -- from about 70 percent down to as low as 50 -- has been seen as a sign of public anger over the sacking.

Undeterred, Koizumi is promising to continue with his promised shake-up of government despite the current tough economic times.

"The economic environment is becoming even more severe and many people are facing difficulties," he said Monday in his first major policy speech of the year.

Nonetheless, he said, his cabinet's policy of "no growth without reform" was receiving the support of the majority of the people.

"Firmly listening to their voices, I will forge ahead with reform, with unshakeable determination."