Nearly 40% hope for gov't led by DPJ, around 15% for LDP: Kyodo poll

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TOKYO, July 19 Kyodo -
The latest Kyodo News poll has found that 39.3 percent of respondents hope to
have a government led by the currently largest opposition Democratic Party of
Japan, compared with 14.8 percent of people expressing a preference for one led
by the presently ruling Liberal Democratic Party, according to poll results
released Sunday.
The nationwide telephone poll was conducted Saturday and Sunday on eligible
voters to probe their views on the House of Representatives election expected
to be held Aug. 30. Japan is holding a general election for the first time in
four years since September 2005.
The poll figures are yet another indication that the DPJ is in a good position
to dethrone the LDP, which has governed Japan for more than half a century with
almost unbroken rule.
The results showed that 20.8 percent of the respondents favor having a
government formed under a new framework through reorganization of political
parties, and 16.7 percent want to have one formed by a grand coalition of the
LDP and DPJ.
Asked who is desirable as prime minister, 48.4 percent of the people picked DPJ
President Yukio Hatoyama and 21.0 percent named LDP President Taro Aso who is
concurrently prime minister.
The support rate for Aso's Cabinet came to 20.6 percent, up from 17.5 percent
in a Kyodo poll in mid-June. Nearly 73 percent of the people responding to the
latest survey said they do not approve of the Aso Cabinet.
As for preference in the proportional representation section of the next
general election, 36.2 percent of respondents said they will vote for the DPJ,
while 15.6 percent said they will vote for the LDP.
However, 34.7 percent of the respondents said they have not yet decided on
which party they will vote for, suggesting the situation for the two parties
could reverse later.
The New Komeito party -- the LDP's junior coalition partner -- took 4.2 percent
of the respondents' support for the proportional representation section,
followed by 3.4 percent for the Japanese Communist Party, 1.2 percent for the
Social Democratic Party and 0.1 percent for the People's New Party.
Of the respondents, 32.1 percent said they have a party to support on a regular
basis and 67.1 percent said they have no specific party to support.
Among those who do not, 18.0 percent said they would choose the LDP if they
were to name a party at present, while 43.1 percent said they would pick the
DPJ.
On whether they will go to the polls, 96.5 percent of the respondents said they
intend to, with 75.4 percent of them saying they will ''certainly'' do so and
21.1 percent saying ''as much as possible.''
Nearly 83 percent of the people said they are ''very interested'' or ''somewhat
interested'' in the upcoming election.
Among possible campaign issues, 40.9 percent pointed to social security
including pension and medical services, followed by the economy and employment
at 30.7 percent.
The survey was carried out based on the random digit dialing method, under
which calls are made to numbers randomly created by computers. A total of 1,766
eligible voters were reached and 1,243 voters replied.
The survey is the first in a series of six similar surveys Kyodo plans to carry
out in order to find out changes in voters' interests in the election and
support for political parties between the time before the lower house is
dissolved to the time shortly before voting. The second survey is scheduled for
next weekend.
Aso has decided to dissolve the House of Representatives on Tuesday for a
general election Aug. 30.
The dissolution is expected to take place Tuesday afternoon.
Immediately after the dissolution, the government will hold an extraordinary
Cabinet meeting to fix the Aug. 30 election date, following a 12-day official
campaign period beginning Aug. 18.
Aso is scheduled to hold a press conference at the prime minister's office
Tuesday evening to make a policy speech ahead of the election.
==Kyodo
2009-07-19 21:18:28