ID :
203358
Wed, 08/24/2011 - 18:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/203358
The shortlink copeid
Maehara seeks Ozawa's support in DPJ leadership election
TOKYO, Aug. 24 Kyodo - Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, seen as a leading contender in the Democratic Party of Japan's presidential election next week, met Wednesday with Ichiro Ozawa, a power broker in the ruling party, in the hope of securing his backing.
The meeting, however, lasted only about 10 minutes and it is likely that Ozawa, chief of the largest party faction, did not make clear whether he will support Maehara in the election to pick the successor to Naoto Kan, the current DPJ leader and prime minister.
''As I will run in the election, I'd like to have your guidance,'' a lawmaker quoted Maehara as telling Ozawa.
Attention is focused on which candidate in next Monday's election receives Ozawa's backing, as only the 398 ruling party members of parliament will be allowed to vote in the election, unlike the contest last September when rank-and-file party members and supporters participated.
About 140 DPJ parliamentarians belong to Ozawa's group, giving him influence over one-third of the votes to elect a new leader.
Ozawa himself cannot vote in the election as his party membership has been suspended following his indictment over a political funds scandal. He will stand trial in October.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, who is close to Maehara, held talks with Ozawa on Tuesday night and called for the former DPJ leader's cooperation in improving unity among its lawmakers, sources familiar with the situation said.
But one of the sources quoted Ozawa as saying during the talks, ''You have all unilaterally excluded my side.''
It will not be easy for Maehara to secure Ozawa's backing, given that he has a track record of criticizing the heavyweight's old-fashioned backroom political style.
Kan, Sengoku and many others in the party leadership are known to be critical of Ozawa. Under Kan's leadership, which will end after the election scheduled for Monday, a DPJ internal power struggle has intensified mainly between pro- and anti-Ozawa lawmakers.
Maehara has been the most popular of the DPJ lawmakers likely to run in the election among Japanese voters surveyed in recent media polls.
But it remains uncertain whether the 49-year-old Maehara, who has maintained a distance from Ozawa, will be able to secure enough votes from DPJ lawmakers to win the election. His intraparty group has only about 40 Diet members.
None of more than five DPJ lawmakers willing to throw their hats into the ring belong to Ozawa's group and the power broker so far has no plans to nominate someone from his loyalists.
But Ozawa told a meeting of his allies on Wednesday that his group must get united and support one candidate.
''In the remaining time, I'm determined to find the right candidate,'' Ozawa said. ''If there is not the best person, there is an option to choose a better one.''
In an attempt to whip up support for his candidacy, Maehara held separate talks in the morning with Kan's predecessor Yukio Hatoyama and Shinji Tarutoko, former chairman of the DPJ's Diet Affairs Committee who is also planning to run in the election.
''Please let me think about it for one or two days. I'd like to consider how I should behave for the good of the party,'' said Tarutoko, who leads a DPJ faction with about 30 members.
With three days to go before official election campaigning starts, political horse-trading is picking up between potential candidates, who include Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, trade minister Banri Kaieda and farm minister Michihiko Kano.
Among DPJ lawmakers close to the current leadership, calls are growing for Maehara and Noda to integrate their support bases.
Before Maehara announced his candidacy Tuesday, Noda, who has his own group of about 30 lawmakers, was seen as a leading contender provided he drew support from the former foreign minister's group.
The meeting, however, lasted only about 10 minutes and it is likely that Ozawa, chief of the largest party faction, did not make clear whether he will support Maehara in the election to pick the successor to Naoto Kan, the current DPJ leader and prime minister.
''As I will run in the election, I'd like to have your guidance,'' a lawmaker quoted Maehara as telling Ozawa.
Attention is focused on which candidate in next Monday's election receives Ozawa's backing, as only the 398 ruling party members of parliament will be allowed to vote in the election, unlike the contest last September when rank-and-file party members and supporters participated.
About 140 DPJ parliamentarians belong to Ozawa's group, giving him influence over one-third of the votes to elect a new leader.
Ozawa himself cannot vote in the election as his party membership has been suspended following his indictment over a political funds scandal. He will stand trial in October.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, who is close to Maehara, held talks with Ozawa on Tuesday night and called for the former DPJ leader's cooperation in improving unity among its lawmakers, sources familiar with the situation said.
But one of the sources quoted Ozawa as saying during the talks, ''You have all unilaterally excluded my side.''
It will not be easy for Maehara to secure Ozawa's backing, given that he has a track record of criticizing the heavyweight's old-fashioned backroom political style.
Kan, Sengoku and many others in the party leadership are known to be critical of Ozawa. Under Kan's leadership, which will end after the election scheduled for Monday, a DPJ internal power struggle has intensified mainly between pro- and anti-Ozawa lawmakers.
Maehara has been the most popular of the DPJ lawmakers likely to run in the election among Japanese voters surveyed in recent media polls.
But it remains uncertain whether the 49-year-old Maehara, who has maintained a distance from Ozawa, will be able to secure enough votes from DPJ lawmakers to win the election. His intraparty group has only about 40 Diet members.
None of more than five DPJ lawmakers willing to throw their hats into the ring belong to Ozawa's group and the power broker so far has no plans to nominate someone from his loyalists.
But Ozawa told a meeting of his allies on Wednesday that his group must get united and support one candidate.
''In the remaining time, I'm determined to find the right candidate,'' Ozawa said. ''If there is not the best person, there is an option to choose a better one.''
In an attempt to whip up support for his candidacy, Maehara held separate talks in the morning with Kan's predecessor Yukio Hatoyama and Shinji Tarutoko, former chairman of the DPJ's Diet Affairs Committee who is also planning to run in the election.
''Please let me think about it for one or two days. I'd like to consider how I should behave for the good of the party,'' said Tarutoko, who leads a DPJ faction with about 30 members.
With three days to go before official election campaigning starts, political horse-trading is picking up between potential candidates, who include Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, trade minister Banri Kaieda and farm minister Michihiko Kano.
Among DPJ lawmakers close to the current leadership, calls are growing for Maehara and Noda to integrate their support bases.
Before Maehara announced his candidacy Tuesday, Noda, who has his own group of about 30 lawmakers, was seen as a leading contender provided he drew support from the former foreign minister's group.
