Fukuoka by-election seen as test for party leaders Koizumi, Okada

A House of Representatives by-election this April in the Fukuoka No. 2 district will be a bellwether, not only for the future of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's government but also the Democratic Party of Japan, the biggest opposition force.

"The will of voters is finally summed up in elections. Let's concentrate our efforts to confront Prime Minister Koizumi's government and the Liberal Democratic Party," acting DPJ leader Hirohisa Fujii told the party's national convention, held last week in Fukuoka.

The by-election will be the first public vote for DPJ leader Katsuya Okada since the House of Councilors election last summer, in which his party outdistanced the long-dominant LDP.