Morita winning in Chiba gubernatorial election in DPJ setback+

CHIBA, Japan, March 29 Kyodo -
Independent Kensaku Morita is assured of scoring a victory in Sunday's Chiba
gubernatorial election over four others including one supported by the
Democratic Party of Japan, in an apparent major setback for the main opposition
party, according to Kyodo News projections.

The 59-year-old Morita, an actor and former House of Representatives member
from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was backed by about half of the LDP
members in the Chiba prefectural assembly.
Morita declared victory, telling his supporters, ''I'd like to create a cool
Chiba Prefecture that can talk straightforward to the central government.''
The apparent election defeat for 49-year-old Taira Yoshida, the candidate
recommended by the DPJ, is seen as possibly having an impact on DPJ members'
opinions on whether party President Ichiro Ozawa should resign over a
fundraising scandal involving his aide.
DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama released a statement saying, ''We
apologize for not being powerful enough as a party that recommended him
(Yoshida).''
LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda, meanwhile, presented a rather reserved
view on the election result, attributing Morita's apparent victory to his
high-profile.
It is the first major election since the indictment on Tuesday of Takanori
Okubo, Ozawa's chief secretary, for allegedly falsifying political donation
reports.
The result of the election could affect the fate of Ozawa, who indicated he
would closely observe public opinion in determining what action to take.
The gubernatorial election may also provide a pointer to trends in voting in
the next national election in constituencies in the voter-rich Tokyo
metropolitan area that includes Chiba. A general election must be held in six
months' time.
Morita lost to outgoing Gov. Akiko Domoto, 76, in the previous Chiba
prefectural gubernatorial election in 2005.
Domoto, who did not seek a third four-year term, had expressed hope that
Yoshida would succeed her.
Aside from the DPJ, Yoshida was also supported by small opposition parties
including the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party.
The three other candidates were Masumi Shiraishi, 51, Fusayuki Hatta, 64, and
Kenichi Nishio, 58. Hatta was backed by the Japanese Communist Party.
Polling booths at 1,574 locations opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 8 p.m.
The LDP's prefectural chapter decided against recommending a specific candidate
and split into three groups respectively supporting Morita, Yoshida and
Shiraishi, who was also recommended by the New Komeito party's prefectural
chapter.
Measures to address doctor shortages, the severe employment situation and
rebuilding prefectural finances were among the major focuses in the election.
Chiba Prefecture counted 5.02 million voters as of March 19.
==Kyodo