ID :
203542
Thu, 08/25/2011 - 16:25
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/203542
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DPJ presidential race may see unusually large number of candidates
TOKYO, Aug. 25 Kyodo - Representatives of nine lawmakers, including former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and current Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, attended a Democratic Party of Japan briefing Thursday on the party's presidential election next week.
Whether all nine will throw their hats into the ring in Monday's election is uncertain, but if they fail to consolidate their support bases to narrow down the field the election will likely see an unusually large number of candidates.
Prior to the formal start of campaigning on Saturday morning, possible candidates stepped up their efforts to secure enough votes from among the 398 DPJ lawmakers who will vote in the election, unlike the contest last September when rank-and-file party members and supporters also participated.
Maehara, the most popular potential candidate among Japanese voters in recent media polls, asked for the support of first-term lower house members at a gathering in Tokyo.
Another possible candidate, former Environment Minister Sakihito Ozawa, visited party members to present his policies.
Calls among DPJ lawmakers are growing for some potential candidates such as Maehara and Noda to integrate their support bases. Before Maehara announced his candidacy Tuesday, Noda was seen as a leading contender provided he drew support from the former foreign minister's group.
Former Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Sumio Mabuchi, another potential candidate, told reporters Thursday morning that the focus of the election should be policy, a veiled jab at the efforts of Maehara's camp to secure votes from other intraparty factions, especially the largest faction led by power broker Ichiro Ozawa.
The briefing was attended by representatives of lawmakers including Mabuchi, Sakihito Ozawa, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano.
Shinji Tarutoko, former chairman of the DPJ's Diet Affairs Committee, is also among those likely to compete to succeed current DPJ leader and Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, a close ally of Ichiro Ozawa, a former DPJ leader, suggested at a gathering of his group that an entirely new candidate may also be fielded.
''We would like to choose the most suitable person, not only limiting our choices to candidates we already know,'' said Hatoyama.
Hatoyama and Ichiro Ozawa, who have continued to hold talks on who to back, agreed to support a candidate who will uphold the party's pledges in 2009, lawmakers said.
Voting by DPJ lawmakers of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors will take place Monday morning, after which the new DPJ leader is expected to be named in parliament, possibly as early as Tuesday.
Kan is expected to resign Friday after two key bills are passed by parliament. The bill to allow the government to issue deficit-covering bonds in fiscal 2011 and the bill to promote the use of renewable energy are set to be enacted during a plenary session of the upper house.
Kan's successor, who will be the third prime minister since the DPJ swept to power in 2009, should be the one to dissolve the House of Representatives for a general election, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada said in a news conference.
Whether all nine will throw their hats into the ring in Monday's election is uncertain, but if they fail to consolidate their support bases to narrow down the field the election will likely see an unusually large number of candidates.
Prior to the formal start of campaigning on Saturday morning, possible candidates stepped up their efforts to secure enough votes from among the 398 DPJ lawmakers who will vote in the election, unlike the contest last September when rank-and-file party members and supporters also participated.
Maehara, the most popular potential candidate among Japanese voters in recent media polls, asked for the support of first-term lower house members at a gathering in Tokyo.
Another possible candidate, former Environment Minister Sakihito Ozawa, visited party members to present his policies.
Calls among DPJ lawmakers are growing for some potential candidates such as Maehara and Noda to integrate their support bases. Before Maehara announced his candidacy Tuesday, Noda was seen as a leading contender provided he drew support from the former foreign minister's group.
Former Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Sumio Mabuchi, another potential candidate, told reporters Thursday morning that the focus of the election should be policy, a veiled jab at the efforts of Maehara's camp to secure votes from other intraparty factions, especially the largest faction led by power broker Ichiro Ozawa.
The briefing was attended by representatives of lawmakers including Mabuchi, Sakihito Ozawa, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano.
Shinji Tarutoko, former chairman of the DPJ's Diet Affairs Committee, is also among those likely to compete to succeed current DPJ leader and Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, a close ally of Ichiro Ozawa, a former DPJ leader, suggested at a gathering of his group that an entirely new candidate may also be fielded.
''We would like to choose the most suitable person, not only limiting our choices to candidates we already know,'' said Hatoyama.
Hatoyama and Ichiro Ozawa, who have continued to hold talks on who to back, agreed to support a candidate who will uphold the party's pledges in 2009, lawmakers said.
Voting by DPJ lawmakers of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors will take place Monday morning, after which the new DPJ leader is expected to be named in parliament, possibly as early as Tuesday.
Kan is expected to resign Friday after two key bills are passed by parliament. The bill to allow the government to issue deficit-covering bonds in fiscal 2011 and the bill to promote the use of renewable energy are set to be enacted during a plenary session of the upper house.
Kan's successor, who will be the third prime minister since the DPJ swept to power in 2009, should be the one to dissolve the House of Representatives for a general election, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada said in a news conference.
