TOKYO, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- With the tally of Japan's vote counting of Sunday's general elections for the House of Representatives nearly complete it appears the ruling coalition government of Junichiro Koizumi is set to remain in power.
"Obviously people entrusted us in the elections," said Shinzo Abe, LDP secretary general, whose popularity was widely acknowledged as an important factor for the LDP winning 237 seats.
The overall number of coalition deputies in the House, however, decreased from 287 to 275, as one of the two coalition partners, the New Conservative Party, retained only 4 seats. Its leader, Hiroshi Kumagai, also lost his seat and said he would resign.
Some commentators point out that another coalition partner, the Komei Party, which is strongly affiliated with the largest Buddhist organization, may wield more influence within the government. Aside from the communists, it emerges as the only significant political party with a cohesive ideological foundation.
But opposition from Democratic Party of Japan will surely grow stronger in the new parliament with increased House seats of 177, or 40 seats more than previously. In the proportional representation alone, DPJ received more voter support in all the electoral areas than LDP.
"We are disappointed by the results," admitted Katsuya Okada, secretary general of DPJ. Okada confirmed Monday that DPJ will persist in opposing sending Japanese troops to Iraq.
As each winner was confirmed, shock was felt at the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party, which won only 6 seats (down from 18) and its leader, Takako Doi, was defeated in her single-constituency area. (Later she was elected in the proportional representation.) Similarly, the Communist Party recorded one of the worst election results in their party history with 9 seats, down from 20.
Even among supporters of the LDP, a gloomy mood persisted as Taku Yamasaki, LDP vice president and former secretary general, lost his parliamentary seat. Long-time confidant of Koizumi, Yamasaki said he would tender his resignation from the party post on Monday.
Koichi Kato, former LDP secretary general who had resigned following a money scandal, regained his seat. Makiko Tanaka, former foreign minister and daughter of late prime minister Kakuei Tanaka, who resigned from parliament owing to alleged misuse of her political secretary's public salary, returned to the House as an independent.
