Pledging to wrest control of the government in the looming general election, Ichiro Ozawa was officially given a third term as president of the Democratic Party of Japan at a party convention Sunday in Tokyo.
"My fellow members, I think the time has finally come," Ozawa told the convention. "Now is the time to change Japan. It wouldn't be exaggerating to say this might be the last chance."
Ozawa criticized the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, saying the disparity between rich and poor has grown and that economic conditions in rural areas are especially dire.