Japan's ruling and opposition party chiefs made their final appeals to voters yesterday, a day before an election that could determine the fate of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Koizumi's ruling coalition cannot be ousted from power as a result of the election for parliament's upper house, as it holds a majority in the powerful lower chamber.
But a poor showing in elections for the upper chamber would weaken his clout and might invite calls for his resignation.
PHOTO: AP
Koizumi, his voice hoarse on the final day of the election campaign, urged scores of voters who were gathered in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district despite pouring rain, to vote for his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Yasunori Yamazaki, a 31-year-old computer engineer who stopped to listen to LDP members stump as he was passing by, said he was undecided but leaning toward voting for the ruling party.
"If you look at Japanese politics up to Koizumi, Koizumi is so much better," Yamazaki said.
Such support would be welcome for Koizumi and his party in what could be a tightly contested elec-tion. A survey published by the Asahi Shimbun daily on Friday showed that voters were about evenly split between the LDP and the main opposition Democratic Party.
The LDP appeared to have recovered some ground from previous polls, but the survey was largely in line with those released earlier this week showing that it was in danger of falling short of its goal of winning 51 of the 121 seats being contested.
The upper chamber has a total of 242 seats, with elections for half of them held every three years.
If the LDP performed poorly and won only 44 seats, that would almost certainly force Koizumi to step down, analysts say.
While Koizumi stumped in the urban centers of Osaka and Tokyo, Katsuya Okada, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, spent the day in southwestern Japan, seeking to bolster support in closely-fought rural districts where his party has been weak.
Friday's emotional reunion of a Japanese woman abducted by North Korea decades ago with the US ex-soldier she married and had to leave behind in Pyongyang when she came home in 2002 just might tip the scale toward the LDP.
Japanese media gave heavy coverage to the Jakarta reunion of Hitomi Soga with Charles Robert Jenkins and their two daughters, and some voters might credit Koizumi with making it possible.
That would be a welcome relief for Koizumi, whose party has been on the defensive over public dissatisfaction toward pension reforms.
Also See Story:
Alleged deserter spends first day outside N Korea
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College