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Koizumi beaming, Okada reeling after LDP takes 2 Lower House seats
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| Contributor | Ralphie |
| Last Edited | Ralphie Apr 30, 2005 10:12am |
| Category | News |
| News Date | Apr 26, 2005 10:00am |
| Description | Liberal Democratic Party victories in both Lower House by-elections Sunday dealt a blow to Minshuto's bid for power while giving Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi some much-needed help in his postal reform drive.
Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) leader Katsuya Okada's own grip on power could be weakened as members question his responsibility for the loss of the Lower House seats in the No. 2 districts of Fukuoka Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture.
Minshuto, which enjoys large support in urban districts, won those two seats in the November 2003 Lower House election. But subsequent scandals embroiling the largest opposition party forced the two by-elections-and hurt Minshuto's chances.
``I do not necessarily support the LDP, but this time it's a penalty (against Minshuto),'' said a Miyagi voter who voted for Kenya Akiba, the LDP candidate.
Akiba, 42, won a close race against Minshuto's Yukiko Monma, 30, and three others. Akiba took 58,023 votes, against Monma's 52,381.
In Fukuoka, Taku Yamasaki, 68, a former LDP vice president and Koizumi's close ally, defeated Masanori Hirata, 37, of Minshuto and four others by taking 96,174 votes. Hirata received 78,311.
The LDP candidates, especially Yamasaki, received help from the solid voter base of the junior coalition partner New Komeito.
Minshuto, meanwhile, failed to capitalize on many issues expected to sway voters away from the LDP, such as internal strife over postal privatization and Japan's chilly relations with China and South Korea. |
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