Opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa said Wednesday the next Lower House election will be the "final battle" of his political career and for the Democratic Party of Japan itself.
"I will stake my political career on our bid to take power," Ozawa said in a speech at the DPJ's annual convention in Yokohama. "It will be the final battle for me as a politician, but at the same time, I think it will be the final political battle for the DPJ."
A Lower House election does not have to be held until September 2009, when lawmakers' current four-year terms expire. But political experts widely expect a snap election to be called this year as the public grows frustrated with the paralysis in Nagata-cho.