The Japanese prime minister's reform lustre is dimming as voters and markets shrug off US praise of Mr Junichiro Koizumi and agree with critics who say he has joined the political old guard, analysts said today.
Prime Minister Mr Koizumi has seen his sky-high support ratings fall since he sacked the popular but outspoken Ms Makiko Tanaka as foreign minister last month. Last night Ms Tanaka accused him of joining the ranks of the anti-reformers he had vowed to fight.
An initial Internet survey showed overwhelming public support for Ms Tanaka's criticism of Mr Koizumi, and analysts said financial markets now doubted his self-proclaimed reformist credentials.
Seventy-six per cent of 5,422 respondents to an Internet survey by Kyodo news agency and Yahoo! Japan that began yesterday said they agreed with Ms Tanaka's accusation that Mr Koizumi had become one of the forces of resistance.
"It appears as if he [Koizumi] has been compromising with the forces of resistance and that reforms are not progressing," said Barclays Japan chief economist Mr Amoru Yamazaki.