Japanese Voting (Koizumi's Iraq policy supporting US is a campaign issue)

Various Japanese News Sources ^ | 11-9-03 | Bones McCoy

[bonesmccoy]

Japan is voting today in the first referendum of Koizumi's alliance with the US over the War on Terror.

For FR readers unfamiliar with the Japanese voting system, they use a parliamentary process to elect their prime minister. Prior news releases indicated that Koizumi considered resignation as Prime Minister if his political party did not retain control of a sizable fraction of the parliment.

This would have hampered the deployment of Japanese resources in support of the US intervention in Iraq.

So, the election appears to be a referendum on the Iraq policy of Koizumi (supportive of the Bush Administration) versus Makiko Tanaka (formerly the Koizumi foriegn minister, opposed the War in Iraq, and resigned from the Parliament/Administration in protest)

This summary of news is time stamped by Japanese media with Tokyo time.

__________________________________________ Headlines from Japan Times

LDP bloc weathers DPJ onslaught The Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling coalition lost seats but managed to retain a solid majority in the House of Representatives in the general election Sunday, while the Democratic Party of Japan posted the sharpest gains ever for an opposition force. (Updated: 2:00 a.m., Nov. 10, 2003)

Poll brought two-party system closer to reality By Junko Takahashi The election result was a leap forward for the Democratic Party of Japan and a sharp blow to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party. (Updated: 2:00 a.m., Nov. 10, 2003)

Kan may entice coalition members Democratic Party of Japan leader Naoto Kan said Sunday he may ask ruling party members to join a move to create a DPJ-led government. (Updated: 2:10 a.m., Nov. 10, 2003)

Independent Tanaka beats successor from LDP to get her Diet seat back Former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka won back her seat Sunday in the House of Representatives after a 14-month break. (Updated: 2:20 a.m., Nov. 10, 2003)

Party heads Kumagai, Doi lose in single-seat races Hiroshi Kumagai, head of the New Conservative Party, the junior coalition partner of the Liberal Democratic Party, lost his seat in Sunday's general election. (Updated: 2:10 a.m., Nov. 10, 2003)

Kato, felled by scandal, effects comeback Koichi Kato, a former Liberal Democratic Party secretary general and one-time close ally of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi who gave up his Diet seat amid a financial scandal last year, achieved a comeback in Sunday's election. (Updated: 2:20 a.m., Nov. 10, 2003)

_________________________________ Headlines from Kyodo News now: Japan coalition wins, but LDP sees setback, DPJ gains By Kakumi Kobayashi TOKYO, Nov. 10, Kyodo - (EDS: ADDING FRESH KOIZUMI QUOTES ON ABE) Japan's ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) retained control of the House of Representatives in Sunday's general election with a stable majority while the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) notched hefty gains, according to Kyodo News projections.

But the long-dominant LDP headed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is certain to lose its majority in the lower house, possibly threatening the stability of his administration in moving forward with structural reforms to lift Japan's long-ailing economy.

''It is no problem. The ruling coalition won a majority,'' Koizumi told reporters at LDP headquarters, apparently trying to downplay the LDP setback.

''We will firmly maintain the framework of three ruling parties,'' LDP Secretary General Shinzo Abe told a TV program. The outcome has given the premier a mandate to move forward with structural reforms to lift Japan's long-ailing economy, Abe said.

As of 1 a.m. Monday, the LDP apparently secured 233, and the New Komeito party in the ruling coalition took 34.

Kyodo projects the three ruling parties, which also include the New Conservative Party (NCP), are likely to jointly secure 269 seats, the minimum number with which they can control all standing committees.

But the NCP, which held nine seats before the election, captured only four, Kyodo projects. The LDP held 247 seats before the election, while the New Komeito party controlled 31 and the NCP nine.

Meanwhile, the DPJ secured 174 seats to become the most powerful parliamentary rival to the LDP, which was established in 1955. The DPJ held 137 before the election.

The final number of seats won by the DPJ may reach 180. This suggests Japan may be entering an era in which two major parties compete for power.

LDP Vice President Taku Yamasaki, Koizumi's closest ally in the party, apparently lost his seat for the first time since he was first elected in 1972. Yamasaki was under fire over a series of sex scandals.

Apparently eclipsed in the close battle between the LDP and the DPJ, many minor parties are facing setbacks. The threatened parties include the NCP, with its leader Hiroshi Kumagai losing his reelection bid.

The Japanese Communist Party (JCP), which held 20 seats before the election, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which held 18, are expected to suffer major setbacks. The JCP apparently took nine seats, and the SDP three.

Kyodo projects the DPJ is likely to win more seats than the LDP in the proportional representation bloc, in which 180 of the 480 seats are up for grabs. The remaining 300 seats will come from single-seat constituencies.

Vote counting got under way after the polls closed at 8 p.m. and the results for all the lower house seats will be known by 3 a.m. Monday.

The final voter turnout is estimated to be 59.73%, down 2.76 percentage points from 62.49% in the 2000 election, according a Kyodo survey.

With the coalition retaining control of the lower house, Koizumi is expected to be reelected premier when the lower chamber convenes later this month. All the cabinet members will then resign in line with the Constitution and the premier will immediately launch a new cabinet.

The three parties in the governing coalition plan to flesh out a schedule for the next Diet session in a meeting Monday, lawmakers in the bloc said.

A reelected premier usually opts to change the cabinet lineup, but Koizumi is expected to reappoint all his ministers given that he reshuffled his cabinet in September.

Koizumi, who assumed the premiership in April 2001, could stay in office at least until his term as LDP president expires in September 2006. The four-year term of lower house members will last until 2007.

Koizumi is expected to accelerate his structural reform policies, which he hopes will give impetus to a budding economic recovery, and also address the long-term task of reducing the nearly 700 trillion yen government debt.

The Koizumi government also faces pressing diplomatic issues. It is expected to make a decision, possibly Friday, to dispatch Self-Defense Forces troops to Iraq despite the deteriorating security situation there.

The government will also need to address the issue of North Korea's nuclear ambitions in the next round of six-nation talks, which may take place by the end of the year, as well as the politically sensitive issue of Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese nationals.

In addition, Koizumi will need to work on relations with China, which have been strained over issues pertaining to history.

Domestically, Koizumi must push ongoing economic reforms and battle influential members of the LDP, who may step up resistance to his initiatives once the election is over.

Before the end of the year, the Koizumi government is likely to face an uphill battle as it aims to write a bill to privatize the Japan Highway Public Corp. and three other public entities, for submission to parliament in early 2004.

In so doing, Koizumi may have to confront the party's old guard, who want to draw road-building and other public works to their home constituencies and who may put up a tough fight over the privatization plans.

Growing concerns about the viability of Japan's pension system amid its rapidly ageing society is another issue that could take center stage and pose a challenge to the Koizumi government.

Three months after he took office as prime minister, Koizumi led the governing coalition to victory in the July 2001 upper house election.

[bonesmccoy]

If Koizumi wins and maintains the coalition, it means that the conservative Japanese (who are pro-isolationist) and the liberals (who are anti-iraq intervention) have failed.

The Liberal Democratic Party in Japan appears to have fiscal and political policies aligned with the Bush Administration.

Lastly, and most interesting, the bias of the media towards liberal interests is revealed by the Japan Times (aligned with New York Times)... who writes "election result was a leap forward for the Democratic Party of Japan and a sharp blow to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party."

The reality is that while the LDP lost a few seats, they maintained control during a period of improving economics and despite promises of foreign deployment of Japanese forces which are controversial.

[bonesmccoy]

A woman casts her ballot Sunday at Shibaura Elementary School in Minato Ward, Tokyo.

Here's another interesting story about elections in Japan... wonder what the lib dem's will say about Iraq in 10 years?

Voters go to polls nationwide today Yomiuri Shimbun

Voting for the 43rd House of Representatives election, in which 1,159 candidates are running, begins nationwide this morning. It is the first general election since June 2000.

Voting starts at 7 a.m. and will last until 8 p.m. Vote counting will start immediately after polling stations are closed. If work by all prefectural election administration commissions goes smoothly, early indications of the overall result will become apparent by around 1 a.m. Monday. By dawn Monday, results for the 300 seats in single-seat constituencies and 180 proportional representation seats are likely to be in.

In the election, 1,026 candidates are running in single-seat constituencies, and 133, excluding those who are simultaneously running in these constituencies, are running in proportional representation blocs.

The Liberal Democratic Party, Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), New Komeito, the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party all fielded proportional representation candidates.

Candidates and political parties finished 12 days of campaigning at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Sunday's voting will be held at 53,390 polling stations across the nation. At 10,532 stations, voting will start or end earlier or later than the standard hours.

Voting was held Saturday at 67 polling stations in 25 municipalities in isolated islands and remote areas.

There were 102,610,731 eligible voters as of Oct. 27, including those who live abroad. The figure increased by about 1.84 million from the previous general election.

Among party leaders, Minshuto leader Naoto Kan, New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki, JCP Chairman Kazuo Shii and Hoshushinto (New Conservative Party) head Hiroshi Kumagai will cast their ballots Sunday.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who is LDP president, and SDP leader Takako Doi have already cast absentee ballots.

Vote counting will start between 8 and 9 p.m. in 36 prefectures, including Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kyoto and Fukuoka. In Nagasaki Prefecture, where vote counting will start last, the work is scheduled to begin before 10 p.m.

In this election, the focus of attention has been on whether a shift in power will occur. The LDP and Minshuto are directly competing in 246 constituencies, up from 225 in the previous general election.

In tandem with the election, voters may cast no-confidence votes for Supreme Court justices under a national review system. This time, nine Supreme Court justices appointed since June 2000 will be screened.