Junichiro Koizumi, 2001 News

Japanese politician, was sworn in as the country's 11th prime minister in 13 years in April, after he was elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. A reformer, he ran on a platform for change and is faced with revitalizing a tattered economy. Koizumi promptly assembled a cabinet of reformers rather than party stalwarts. He succeeded the immensely unpopular Yoshiro Mori, who stepped down after a year in power.