Hatoyama wins DPJ leadership to succeed Ozawa, beating Okada

TOKYO, May 16 Kyodo -
Japan's main opposition party on Saturday chose Yukio Hatoyama as its new
leader in a bid to regain its momentum prior to a forthcoming general election
in the wake of a fundraising scandal involving a secretary of his predecessor
Ichiro Ozawa.
Following the leadership election for the Democratic Party of Japan, Hatoyama,
former secretary general of the party, told a press conference he will lead the
party ''to gain Diet seats that outnumber those of the ruling Liberal
Democratic Party'' in the general election.
''Let's end this era (in which policymaking is largely) controlled by
bureaucrats'' by ousting the LDP-led coalition, he said, seeking policies based
more on taxpayers' needs, a drastic reduction in wasteful spending and a shift
toward decentralization of bureaucratic power.
Winning by 124 to 95 votes over Vice President Katsuya Okada, Hatoyama, 62,
said he is eyeing tapping Okada, 55, as well as Ozawa, 66, to join his team,
but added he has no idea yet what specific posts they may hold.
Hatoyama is expected to boost party solidarity using his political clout. But
analysts say he needs to figure out how to gain voter support in order to lead
the party to victory in the next House of Representatives election.
If the DPJ wins the election, which must be held by the fall, the seasoned
lawmaker, who initially served as party chief from September 1999 to December
2002, will likely become Japan's next prime minister.
An election victory for the DPJ would put an end to the LDP's almost total
control of Japanese politics since 1955.
But even if the DPJ wins an overall majority, Hatoyama said, it will continue
to tie up with the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party in Diet
management, noting that the upper house is only controlled by a combined
majority of the opposition bloc.
The party election, in which only Diet members of the party could cast ballots,
was called after Ozawa announced his departure Monday to ensure ''party unity''
amid a fundraising scandal, in which one of his secretaries was arrested and
indicted for taking and falsely reporting illegal donations from a
scandal-tainted general contractor.
A right-hand man of Ozawa, Hatoyama reportedly gained broad support in the
party, including the largest faction led by Ozawa. He had particularly strong
backing from House of Councillors lawmakers, many of whom won their seats in
the 2007 election under Ozawa.
Because of such solid links with Ozawa, Hatoyama went so far as to announce his
intention to step down as secretary general in tandem with Ozawa's resignation,
giving the impression he was sharing his fate.
But there is now speculation that Hatoyama's regime will be a puppet one,
effectively controlled by Ozawa.
While commending Ozawa's leadership abilities, however, Hatoyama said at the
news conference that he would not allow Ozawa to do whatever he wants to do by
giving him a post and leeway to act too freely.
Akira Nagatsuma, a DPJ lower house lawmaker who supported Okada, told reporters
after voting, ''Mr. Ozawa's eagerness and his accumulated experience are
something that we all should learn from,'' adding that Ozawa's influence would
have remained in place even if Okada had become party leader.
But Hatoyama also said that Ozawa has failed to give a sufficient explanation
about the political donations scandal. ''I would like him to explain'' to the
public more fully, he said.
Analysts say Hatoyama, whose grandfather was former Prime Minister Ichiro
Hatoyama, will hardly help the DPJ differentiate itself from the ruling LDP led
by Prime Minister Taro Aso, who will be Hatoyama's rival in the general
election. Aso is the grandson of former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida.
The DPJ has been opposed to hereditary politics and accused the Aso Cabinet of
being comprised of too many lawmakers who inherited their constituencies from
their parents.
But Hatoyama said at the press conference, ''I am not a so-called hereditary
politician,'' arguing he did not inherit a constituency but instead won his
seat through his own efforts in a constituency outside those connected with his
family.
''We think hereditary politics should be reviewed in terms of fairness,'' he said.
Following the party election, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, an LDP
lawmaker, sought the DPJ's cooperation on smooth Diet deliberations on an extra
budget for fiscal 2009, which is currently in the upper house.
Hatoyama said, ''I have no intention of using any cunning means to drive him
(Aso) to dissolve the Diet (for a snap election).''
==Kyodo