The sudden decision and announcement by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to resign must have caused a headache for the Democratic Party of Japan, the No. 1 opposition party. The DPJ had worked out a strategy for future general elections on the assumption that Mr. Fukuda would remain in power. The DPJ thought he would be an easy target to assail because of his low approval ratings and seeming aloofness from the public. Mr. Fukuda's announcement to resign has deprived the DPJ of the basis for such optimistic thinking.
For some time to come, media will focus their attention on the political drama of choosing the new president of the Liberal Democratic Party, with the effect of diverting people's attention from the DPJ's selection of its new leader. The campaign to elect a new DPJ leader will officially start Sept. 8; the current DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa is the only candidate. He will easily continue as the DPJ's leader, but he may face an uphill battle in coming general elections because the LDP will make utmost efforts to select as its new president a person attractive to voters and able to bring in votes for LDP candidates.
A recent nationwide telephone survey carried out by Kyodo News shows that 38.4 percent will vote for the LDP in proportional representation districts in coming general elections, while 34.9 percent will vote for the DPJ in such districts. The DPJ plans to announce soon the first group of candidates for single-seat constituencies and to hasten consultations for election cooperation with other opposition parties, including the Social Democratic Party.