Letter From Tokyo

In the July 1993 elections, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost its majority in the House of Representatives for the first time since its founding in 1955. Japan found itself with a new government composed of a previously unimaginable seven-party coalition—parties ranging from the ultraconservative Shinsei-to (Renaissance) and the quasi-religious Komei-to to the once dogmatic Socialists. This constellation was possible solely because of the desire to establish a non-LDP government. Morihiro Hosokawa, an obscure leader of the Japan New Party, was chosen as prime minister.

Hosokawa, a neophyte in national politics who championed change, emphasized the need to rid the Japanese political system of the influence of the scandal-ri...