In a remarkable coincidence of timing, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder called for early elections in the hope of energizing reform. In Germany, the most urgent needs are for tax and labor-market reform.
令人惊奇的巧合是，日本首相小泉纯一郎和德国总理施罗德几乎同时为激活改革而宣布提前选举。德国最迫切需要改革的是税收和劳动力市场，而日本的小泉政府力图将庞大的邮政系统私有化，邮政机构巨大的金融触手就像巨蟒般紧紧地缠住了日本的金融体系。