Japan's ex-PM Koizumi blasts incombent Aso

TOKYO, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Popular former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi blasted incumbent Taro Aso on Thursday for rejecting reforms at the core of his agenda and questioned whether Aso could lead the ruling party to victory at the polls.

The rare public criticism by Koizumi was the latest headache for Aso, whose support has sunk below 20 percent ahead of an election this year the ruling bloc could well lose, ending more than 50 years of nearly unbroken reign by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party.

"Rather than being angry, I am totally appalled by what the prime minister has recently been saying," Koizumio told an LDP panel of lawmakers who support postal privatisation reforms.

Aso has come under fresh fire this week from the opposition and some within his LDP for saying he had opposed a plan to privatise the giant postal system, a pillar of past reforms under Koizumi who led the party to a huge victory in the election in 2005.

Aso later tried to silence his critics by saying he had ultimately backed the postal privatisation plan.

"We cannot fight the election if comments by the prime minister cannot be trusted," Koizumi added. "I told him to be careful with his comments."

Aso declined to comment directly on Koizumi's latest remarks, but said he would continue to focus on implementing planned economic measures to help the economy, which faces a deepening recession, as the election nears.

"As for the election, I will need to call it at an appropriate time after setting up a policy platform to clarify how different ours is from the opposition's policies," Aso told reporters.

The LDP has been drifting away from Koizumi's reforms, with the global financial crisis seen as strengthening the case for a bigger government role in the economy.

But Aso's comments on postal reforms have been viewed as irresponsible as he was also in Koizumi's cabinet when the privatisation plan was approved.

Earlier in the day Aso, whose popularity has tumbled after a series of gaffes and policy flip-flops, told parliament he would try not to create misunderstandings with his comments.

The nationwide survey by the Asahi newspaper showed on Tuesday that support for Aso has fallen to 14 percent, a level that could prompt his party to try to replace him ahead of an election the opposition looks increasingly likely to win.

It also showed 42 percent of voters plan to choose the novice opposition Democratic Party of Japan in an election that must be held by October. (Reporting by Yoko Nishikawa and Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Jerry Norton)