Japanese prime minister Junichiro
Koizumi yesterday called an early election for 11 September, after his
legislation to privatise Japan’s post office (which is a financial
conglomerate, not just a postal service) was defeated in the upper house by
opponents within his own Liberal Democratic Party. (Story here)

This means that next month, which was already shaping as a big month for
elections, will be even bigger. In addition to Japan, there will be general
elections in Norway (12 September), New Zealand (17th), Germany and
Afghanistan (both on the 18th) and Poland (25th). It’s a lot for
one psephologist to keep track of.

The Liberal Democratic
Party has governed Japan almost without a break for more than 50 years, but
in the post-Cold War world it is increasingly an anachronism. As Adam Carr
concisely puts it: “It is officially a conservative party, but in fact is a collection
of factions representing various business interests, and largely
concerned with the accumulation and distribution of money to special
interest groups.” Koizumi’s bold rhetoric of reform has so far yielded little
in the way of actual results: postal privatisation was his last big
throw.

In the last election, in 2003, the LDP and its Komeito
allies won a majority with less than half the vote. The opposition Democratic
Party is free-market in its rhetoric, but opposed the privatisation bills
in order to force an election which they have a strong chance of
winning. The LDP will be weakened by the loss of its
anti-privatisation dissidents, who are expected to run as a separate party,
and Komeito may well defect to the opposition if that better serves its
prospects of remaining in power.

Perhaps the election campaign
will also prompt people in Australia to ask why our supposedly reformist
government has made no moves to sell our own stodgy monopolist, Australia
Post.