No change of power means defeat for DPJ: Hatoyama

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TAKAMATSU, Japan, July 18 Kyodo -
Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama said Saturday that not
seizing power will mean a loss for the main opposition party in the upcoming
national election.
''It's all about whether we can achieve a change of government or not, and it
will be a loss for us if we fail to reach the point where we can achieve it,''
Hatoyama, who is on the stump, told reporters in the western city of Takamatsu.
''The most desirable scenario for us is to get the majority on our own, but
practically, we are aiming to win as many more seats as we can than the Liberal
Democratic Party in order to become the leading party,'' he said, referring to
a win-loss line for the DPJ.
Opinion polls have showed that the DPJ is in a good position to dethrone the
LDP, who has governed Japan for more than a century with almost unbroken rule.
Prime Minister Taro Aso has said he will call a general election Aug. 30 after
dissolving the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
DPJ lawmakers have said they are seeking for the entire opposition camp, which
also includes the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party, to at
least secure the majority of the 480-seat lower house.
Hatoyama said his party should govern the country if the coalition bloc of the
LDP and the New Komeito Party wins more seats than the DPJ but fails to reach
the majority. The DPJ currently has 112 lower house lawmakers and needs to win
129 or more seats to win a single-party majority.
==Kyodo