Japan’s ruling coalition earns win
TOKYO – Japan’s ruling coalition clinched a majority in the upper house of Parliament in elections Sunday, but gains by the opposition signaled discontent with the prime minister’s cuts in pension benefits and deployment of troops to Iraq.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito party won 60 of the seats under contention, ensuring their dominance of the upper house, according to final results released early Monday by the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. The LDP alone won 49 seats.
The opposition Democratic Party boosted its standing in the chamber by 12 seats, taking 50.
Official results were expected during the day today.
The embattled premier, who took office in April 2001 promising far-reaching reform, insisted there was no reason for him to resign to take responsibility for the results. But the Democrats claimed victory.
“The people have issued a resounding `no’ to Koizumi’s policies,” said party leader Katsuya Okada.
The election had not been expected to seriously threaten the LDP’s hold on government. The party, which has governed almost uninterruptedly since 1955, holds a firm majority in the powerful lower house, the stronger of the legislature’s two chambers.
But the robust turnout for the opposition could undermine support for Koizumi within his own party.
“What we’re seeing is a result of Koizumi’s diminishing popularity — the ‘Koizumi effect’ is wearing off,” said Jiro Yamaguchi, a political scientist at Hokkaido University. He predicted the party would become even more resistant to reform.
The election also bolstered the emergence of a two-party political system in Japan, with the LDP increasingly balanced by the Democrats rather than easily dominating an opposition splintered into smaller groupings.
Half of the chamber’s 242 seats were contested. Before the vote, the Liberal Democrats held 115 seats in the upper house and controlled a majority of seats together with Komeito’s 23 seats. The Democrats had 70.
The LDP had set a total of 51 seats – a gain of one seat – as its modest goal for the election. While local media speculated Koizumi could face pressure to step down if the goal was not met, the premier dismissed talk of resignation.
“There would be no need for that,” he said in an interview with NTV, a nationwide television network. “As long as we can keep control of both houses, we will continue with our reform policies.”
The Liberal Democratic Party had tried to win political points from the recovering economy, but with little success.
“We did well considering the winds were against us,” said party secretary-general Shinzo Abe. “It’s still possible to run a stable government.”