Opportunity knocks

Japanese prime minister Ryutaro Hashimoto has expressed very firm commitment to political and economic reform, but many observers are still expressing doubts about whether he will be able to fulfill his promises. However, he is clearly a very skilled politician, and has deliberately put his political career at risk in order to achieve what he has promised. Whether political and economic reform actually takes place will depend on the extent to which Hashimoto is able to exert his political will.