Well, we saw his arrival as a return to grey nothingness so his departure is hardly grieved.
The “all-star” line-up on the LDP side presages a return to power for a non-LDP coalition – a rare event to be treasured, but, unfortunately not inspiring much hope. The chances of such a coalition ramming through sweeping reforms are not high.
The best hope would be for the LDP to stay out of power for a couple of terms forcing them to seek a Koizumi-style radical to win back power. This might put a serious shake-up of the political, bureaucratic and legal structures back on the table.
