(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) appears to be connecting with the voters in the early stages of a legislative campaign, according to a poll by Mainichi. 56 per cent of respondents would like the DPJ to win this year’s election to the House of Representatives, up eight points since October.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) appears to be connecting with the voters in the early stages of a legislative campaign, according to a poll by Mainichi. 56 per cent of respondents would like the DPJ to win this year’s election to the House of Representatives, up eight points since October.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is far behind with 23 per cent. 21 per cent of respondents remain undecided.
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.
In May, Yukio Hatoyama defeated Katsuya Okada in an internal ballot of DPJ lawmakers to become the new DPJ leader.
On Jul. 21, Aso urged voters to reject Hatoyama’s message of change, saying, "We cannot leave Japan’s economy in their hands. (…) We cannot leave Japan’s security in the hands of a party without a security policy. Only the LDP can take responsibility for Japan’s future."
The next election to the House of Representatives will take place on Aug. 30.
Polling Data
Which party would you prefer to win the next general election?
|
|
Jul. 2009 |
Oct. 2008 |
|
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) |
56% |
48% |
|
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) |
23% |
36% |
|
Not sure / Other |
21% |
16% |
Source: Mainichi
Methodology: Interviews to 1,045 Japanese adults, conducted on Jul. 18 and Jul. 19, 2008. No margin of error was provided.
