Koizumi-san

Is this the Richard Gere of Japan? I think so. It is a political poster for Koizumi-san, the current prime minister of Japan. While his hair usually long and wily in public appearances, here it is subdued. His faced is so airbrushed in this poster, it is cartoonish. Our American politicians don't need to be on posters to be plastic... they appear that way in person!

When formally addressing someone in Japan, it is polite to append the suffix "-san". There are some people at my office that I do not know their first names -- only their last names. They introduce themselves using only their last name.

Some foreigners attain this respect, but san may be attached also to their first name.