The FINANCIAL — 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 on July 19.
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 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.
Aso has decided to dissolve the House of Representatives on Tuesday for a general election Aug. 30.
The dissolution is expected to take place on July 21 afternoon.
Immediately after the dissolution, the government will hold an extraordinary Cabinet meeting to fix the Aug. 30 election date to follow 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.
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