The Democratic Party of Japan on Saturday elected its secretary general, Mr. Yukio Hatoyama, as its new leader, ending an internal dispute that has rocked the party since the March 3 arrest of former party leader Mr. Ichiro Ozawa's chief aide for alleged political donation irregularities. Mr. Hatoyama defeated deputy party leader Mr. Katsuya Okada in a 124-95 vote by DPJ Diet members.
Mr. Hatoyama's win gives the No. 1 opposition party a chance to revive its struggle for power. But he needs to overcome many problems to lead his party to the goal of beating the Liberal Democratic Party in the next Lower House general elections.
Various polls show that a majority of those surveyed think that Mr. Ozawa's resignation on May 11 came too late and that he failed to give a full explanation of his receipt of a large sum in political donations. In addition, because Mr. Hatoyama worked closely with Mr. Ozawa, there may arise suspicion that Mr. Hatoyama, despite his denial, is a puppet of Mr. Ozawa.