Junichiro Koizumi says he wants to have time to dine out and listen to music again. So though he led the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to a landslide victory in a snap general election in September, he still insists that he will step down as prime minister next September, after five years in the job, when his term as LDP president expires. Since he has also promised to give those in the running to succeed him the chance to prove themselves before he goes, the cabinet reshuffle that took place this week—presumably his last-has been eagerly dissected.
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