(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) seems poised to form the next government in the Asian country, according to a poll by Asahi. 40 per cent of respondents would give their proportional representation vote to the DPJ in this month’s legislative election.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) seems poised to form the next government in the Asian country, according to a poll by Asahi. 40 per cent of respondents would give their proportional representation vote to the DPJ in this month’s legislative election.
The governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is a distant second with 21 per cent, and 39 per cent of respondents remain undecided or plan to support smaller 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.
In May, Yukio Hatoyama defeated Katsuya Okada in an internal ballot of DPJ lawmakers to become the new DPJ leader.
On Aug. 19, Hatoyama vowed to govern Japan in a different fashion, saying, "This is a revolutionary vote to create a new Japan with politician-led politics. In contrast with the bureaucrat-led politics, we will produce politics in which the public plays a leading role."
The next election to the House of Representatives will take place on Aug. 30.
Polling Data
Which party would you vote for in the House of Representatives election? (Proportional Representation)
|
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) |
40% |
|
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) |
21% |
|
Other / Not sure |
39% |
Source: Asahi
Methodology: Interviews with 1,011 Japanese adults, conducted on Aug. 15 and Aug. 16, 2009. No margin of error was provided.
