Top of The Pops

By Kumiko Makihara/Tokyo

WHEN THE GOVERNMENT'S POLITICAL-REFORM BILLS OFFICIALLY PASSED MUSTER last week, legislators of the ruling coalition cheered. But Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa looked impassive as he walked along the red-carpeted halls of the Diet building to the victory parties of his coalition members. No matter that this was a historic occasion; Hosokawa seemed above it all. "I have never met anyone who acts so nonchalant about being Prime Minister. He's such a natural," said Shinseito legislator Kozo Watanabe. "That accounts for his extreme popularity."

Popularity may be the most extreme thing about the unassuming former governor of southern Kumamoto prefecture, who has become Japan's most admired Prime Minister ever. The first thing Japanese seem to like is his aristocratic lineage, which dates back 18 generations. The Hosokawa clan ruled southwestern Japan from the 16th to the mid-19th century and produced important historical figures, including the father and son Yusai (1534-1610) and Tadaoki (1563-1646), who prospered under all three military rulers who unified Japan. The new Prime Minister "makes people feel history," says essayist Yoshimi Ishikawa. "Everyone can participate in discussions about his family."

His blueblood background may be a factor behind another popular Hosokawa trait: his outspokenness compared with the gray mass of Japanese politicians. At his first press conference in August, Hosokawa stunned his audience by declaring that for Japan, World War II was "a war of aggression, and it was a mistake" -- a statement previous leaders never made so bluntly, partly out of fear of stirring up nationalist constituents. Hosokawa dropped another bombshell at the same press conference when in response to a question he revealed that he would resign if his government didn't pass political-reform bills by the end of the year. Such directness compares favorably with the opacity of politicians like former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, known for not completing his sentences. Says a veteran journalist: "In the past we always had to turn to a commentator to interpret the Prime Minister's statements."

Hosokawa has also adopted a low-key populist style, shedding some of the perks and symbols that separate legislators from their constituents. Earlier this month, he scolded his staff for holding a meeting at a ryotei -- an expensive, traditional Japanese restaurant often used by Diet members to broker deals. From now on, he told them, use less pricey hotels. He avoids wearing his legislator's lapel pin, though this has incurred the ire of the country's 10,000 pinmakers. "I never liked that sense of boasting, 'I'm a Diet man,' " says Tokyo housewife Seiko Arai. "The times were waiting for an up-to-date leader like this."

So well liked is the Prime Minister that the opposition Liberal Democrats are noticeably hesitant to attack him. The party recently circulated a 108- page booklet to its members, with 21 suggestions on how to confront their nemesis. One example: "Prime Minister Hosokawa says things that are impressive and good, but it is questionable whether he can realize them." After last week's victory, even such mild cavils may have to be revised.

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CREDIT: [TMFONT 1 d #666666 d {Source: Asahi Shimbun}]CAPTION: FAR AHEAD OF THE PACK