ID :
203559
Thu, 08/25/2011 - 17:51
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/203559
The shortlink copeid
Ozawa, Hatoyama to back DPJ candidate who sticks to 2009 pledges
TOKYO, Aug. 25 Kyodo - Democratic Party of Japan power broker Ichiro Ozawa and former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama agreed Thursday to throw their weight behind a candidate who will uphold the party's election manifesto in 2009 as political maneuvering intensified ahead of next week's race to pick a new DPJ leader.
Ozawa and Hatoyama, who both served as the party's leader, are now making arrangements to back a candidate who would return the party to its grassroots and stick to the manifesto, as potential candidates stepped up efforts to scout the support of the largest intraparty faction led by Ozawa, lawmakers said.
The development came in the wake of Kan's expected resignation Friday after two key bills are passed by parliament. The two are expected to decide who to back possibly later that day prior to the formal start of campaigning on Saturday morning.
Eyes have been on who Ozawa and his allies will support in Monday's presidential election, as possible candidates are trying 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.
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, who is seen as a front-runner in the election, indicated to reporters he will be flexible in dealing with a review of the manifesto.
Hatoyama also held talks separately with Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda and former Environment Minister Sakihito Ozawa, who are close to him, possibly to make arrangements on uniting under one candidate.
The former environment minister told reporters afterward that the possibility is ''not zero'' and is a ''matter of timing.''
Hatoyama 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.
Lawmakers are also trying to consolidate the support bases of three other contenders -- Maehara, current Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, and Shinji Tarutoko, former chairman of the DPJ's Diet Affairs Committee.
Maehara, the most popular potential candidate among Japanese voters in recent media polls, sought the support of party members in a gathering Thursday night as he underscored the need for party unity.
Meanwhile, 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.
Earlier in the day, representatives of the seven potential candidates, also including Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano, as well as two other lawmakers attended a DPJ meeting on the election.
Whether all potential candidates 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.
Voting by DPJ lawmakers of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors will take place Monday morning, and the new DPJ leader is expected to be named as prime minister in parliament, possibly as early as Tuesday.
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.
Ozawa and Hatoyama, who both served as the party's leader, are now making arrangements to back a candidate who would return the party to its grassroots and stick to the manifesto, as potential candidates stepped up efforts to scout the support of the largest intraparty faction led by Ozawa, lawmakers said.
The development came in the wake of Kan's expected resignation Friday after two key bills are passed by parliament. The two are expected to decide who to back possibly later that day prior to the formal start of campaigning on Saturday morning.
Eyes have been on who Ozawa and his allies will support in Monday's presidential election, as possible candidates are trying 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.
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, who is seen as a front-runner in the election, indicated to reporters he will be flexible in dealing with a review of the manifesto.
Hatoyama also held talks separately with Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda and former Environment Minister Sakihito Ozawa, who are close to him, possibly to make arrangements on uniting under one candidate.
The former environment minister told reporters afterward that the possibility is ''not zero'' and is a ''matter of timing.''
Hatoyama 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.
Lawmakers are also trying to consolidate the support bases of three other contenders -- Maehara, current Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, and Shinji Tarutoko, former chairman of the DPJ's Diet Affairs Committee.
Maehara, the most popular potential candidate among Japanese voters in recent media polls, sought the support of party members in a gathering Thursday night as he underscored the need for party unity.
Meanwhile, 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.
Earlier in the day, representatives of the seven potential candidates, also including Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano, as well as two other lawmakers attended a DPJ meeting on the election.
Whether all potential candidates 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.
Voting by DPJ lawmakers of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors will take place Monday morning, and the new DPJ leader is expected to be named as prime minister in parliament, possibly as early as Tuesday.
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.
