The focal question in Japanese politics is how the 2001 Upper House election will turn out. Turn-of-the-century politics will hinge on whether the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party will retain its majority in the Upper House, or whether the opposition forces, led by the Democratic Party of Japan, will wrest a majority. New Komeito, as of now, says it will decide whether to remain in the coalition on the basis of the election results.
Most experts agree that under the poor leadership of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, the ruling coalition will have little chance of winning the election. According to this theory, the opposition forces will likely grab a slim majority.
The only way for the ruling forces to improve their election prospects is to replace Mori with someone who inspires more public confidence, in connection with the scheduled extraordinary Diet session that opens this month.
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