Koizumi vows to heed criticism over reforms and Iraq

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed to heed public criticism over Iraq and pension reforms as he wound up 17 days of campaigning Saturday on the eve of the country's upper house election which could shake his grip on power.
"Tomorrow is the day when my three-year reform line will be judged," he told a crowd in front of the central railway station in the western megalopolis of Osaka, according to press reports.
"I have been criticised in various ways," he added, referring to his unpopular plans for overhauling the public pension system and keeping troops in Iraq under a multinational force.
"I would like to heed these calls and further put my reform policy on track."
Although any upset would not lead to a change of government, analysts say that if his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) fails to top its pre-election strength in the upper house, Koizumi could face pressure to step down.
The premier has logged some 23,700 kilometers - a distance roughly equal to a round trip between Tokyo and New York - making 41 speeches during the tour.
Katsuya Okada, head of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), has only covered 20,400 kilometers (12,750 miles) but has made 71 speeches on his whistle-stop tour.
"It is time to clearly say 'no' to the slipshod Koizumi government," Okada said in Kumamoto Saturday on the southern main island of Kyushu. "We can definitely change politics."
It looks unlikely that Koizumi's party will win his original target of 51 seats and is projected to take home only 48. But if the party secures fewer than 45, most analysts consider Koizumi's position to be in jeopardy.
Using his promises of government reforms and relatively high popularity, Koizumi has weathered two national elections and several by-elections since he took office in April 2001.
However, he has come under fire after his ruling coalition rammed through unpopular public pension legislation last month aimed at cutting benefits and raising pension premiums to cope with an aging population.
Koizumi's support for the US-led war in Iraq and his decision to send troops there, albeit on a non-combat mission, has also proved unpopular with many voters.
Public support for the Koizumi cabinet, which peaked at nearly 90 percent, has hit a record low of 36 percent, with some 70 percent of voters opposed to the pension reforms, according to recent opinion polls.