Japan's ruling party headed for defeat

TOKYO, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Japanese voters are expected Sunday to vote the country's Liberal Democratic Party out of office for the first time in 55 years.

The latest Kyodo news poll indicates 35.9 percent of voters are planning to back the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, an increase of 3.3 percent over last week, The Daily Telegraph of London reported Friday.

Prime Minister Taro Aso has been portraying his opponent, Yukio Hatoyama, as inexperienced and says he is trying to win over voters with promises that are impossible to keep.

A last-minute move by his Liberal Democrtic Party to court the youth vote by enlisting the support of the popular boy-band SMAP appears to have failed, says Steven Reed, a professor of Japanese politics at Chuo University.

"SMAP have never been involved in a political campaign before and it is a surprise that they have apparently come to the aid of the LDP as that ship is over clearly sinking," Reed said.