Democratic Party of Japan leader Naoto Kan acknowledged that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's government won voters' confidence in the general election Sunday.
Kan made the remarks after midnight Sunday, referring to unofficial vote counts showing that the three ruling parties led by Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party secured a comfortable majority.
Kan said he will continue trying to gain control of the government toward the next election as the DPJ failed to win the 200 seats it was aiming for.