Why did Koizumi Junichiro oppose pork-barrel spending?

Koizumi Junichiro opposed pork-barrel spending primarily as a strategic effort to modernize the Liberal-Democratic Party of Japan and broaden its electoral appeal. By the late 20th century, the party’s traditional base—which relied on public works projects and intimate constituency services—was shrinking, while the number of unaffiliated, urban voters was on the rise.1

To capture this growing demographic, Koizumi campaigned on a platform of economic reform, specifically targeting the reduction of pork-barrel spending alongside privatization and deregulation. By moving away from the party's traditional reliance on factional politics and localized spending, he sought to revitalize the economy and burnish the LDP's reputation, which had been tarnished by past scandals. While these reforms alienated some traditional voting blocs in rural areas, they were central to his identity as an unconventional reformer and were instrumental in his efforts to weaken the party's entrenched factional structure.12