(05/03/09) -

Ruling LDP Becomes Frontrunner in Japan

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is ahead as Japanese voters ponder their options in this year’s legislative election, according to a poll by Nikkei. 36 per cent of respondents would vote for the LDP, up 10 points since February.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is ahead as Japanese voters ponder their options in this year’s legislative election, according to a poll by Nikkei. 36 per cent of respondents would vote for the LDP, up 10 points since February.

The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is second with 28 per cent, down 14 points in two months. More than a third of respondents remain undecided, or would vote for other parties.

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 opposition 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.

Ichiro Ozawa—a former member of the LDP—has been head of the opposition party since 2006. Ozawa has been urged to resign after his chief aide Takanori Okubo was accused of accepting close to $212,000 U.S. in illegal donations from Nishimatsu Construction.

On Apr. 22, former DPJ leader Katsuya Okada discussed the electoral campaign, saying, "We cannot change the government when 60 to 70 per cent of the public aren’t satisfied with [Ozawa’s] explanations [about donations]. We must realize this is a crisis, and I strongly hope Mr. Ozawa and executive leaders will respond fully to the public’s suspicion."

The next election to the House of Representatives must be held on or before Sept. 6. Sitting prime ministers can dissolve the Diet and call an early ballot at their discretion.

Polling Data

Which party would you vote for in the next election to the House of Representatives?

Source: Nikkei
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 866 Japanese adults, conducted from Apr. 24 to Apr. 26, 2009. No margin of error was provided.