The Democratic Party of Japan said Tuesday it will approve Masaaki Shirakawa as governor of the Bank of Japan and fill the leadership vacuum at the central bank but will shoot down the government's nominee for one of the deputy governor positions.

DPJ chief Ichiro Ozawa is believed to have opposed Hiroshi Watanabe's nomination for the No. 2 slot, even though many other lawmakers in the party supported him.

Both Diet chambers are scheduled to vote on the BOJ nominations Wednesday. The DPJ holds the decisive vote in the opposition-controlled Upper House.