(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Japan’s long-governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) could lose the next legislative election, according to a poll by Nikkei. 40 per cent of respondents would vote for the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in the next ballot, while 21 per cent would support the LDP.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Japan’s long-governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) could lose the next legislative election, according to a poll by Nikkei. 40 per cent of respondents would vote for the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in the next ballot, while 21 per cent would support the LDP.
Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the LDP has administered Japan’s government for more than five decades. An election to renew half of the House of Councillors seats took place in July 2007. Final results gave the DPJ 60 of the 121 seats at stake, with the governing LDP winning 37 mandates. The opposition—with 137 seats—now holds a majority in the upper house of Japan’s Diet for the first time since the LDP was founded in 1955.
Since the retirement of Junichiro Koizumi, Japan has had three different LDP leaders and prime ministers. Shinzo Abe served from September 2006 to September 2007, and was replaced by Yasuo Fukuda. In September 2008, Fukuda announced he would step down as he felt "swamped" by the country’s issues. Foreign minister Taro Aso won an internal leadership ballot and was sworn in as Japan’s new prime minister.
DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa has repeatedly urged Aso to resign and call an election over his "inability" to deal with a deep economic crisis. On Jan. 18, Ozawa said declared: "The administration neglects its responsibility and its mission. The longer it stays in power, the longer people suffer in this country. There is no other way but for the administration to step down."
Polling Data
Which party would you vote for in the next election to the House of Representatives?
|
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) |
40% |
|
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) |
21% |
|
Other / Undecided |
39% |
Source: Nikkei
Methodology: Interviews with 925 Japanese adults, conducted on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25, 2009. No margin of error was provided.
