Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Japan election campaign opens; voters eye change
Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:52am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Chisa Fujioka
OSAKA, Japan (Reuters) - Voters in Japan flocked to rallies on Tuesday as official campaigning began in an election that is expected to see Prime Minister Taro Aso's party ousted for only the second time in its 54-year history.
Polls show Aso's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headed for defeat in the August 30 vote for parliament's powerful lower house, which would usher in a government led by the opposition Democratic Party and raise the chance of breaking a policy deadlock.
The Democrats have pledged to revive the economy by putting more money in the hands of consumers, hold off on raising the 5 percent sales tax for the next four years and adopt a diplomatic stance less subservient to top security ally the United States.
Financial markets would welcome the prospect of smoother policy-making as Japan shakes off a recession, although some analysts say the Democrats' ambitious plans could inflate already high public debt and push up long-term interest rates.
The Democrats and their allies won control of parliament's upper house in 2007 and can stymie legislation.
Facing a crowd of hundreds in the western city of Osaka, Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama accused the conservative LDP of ignoring ordinary voters and said it was time for change.
"Everyone, the day has come to rewrite history," declared Hatoyama, the next prime minister if his party wins, to cheers from the crowd, many wearing hats and holding towels and parasols to beat the sun and sweltering summer heat.
"With your power, let's have the courage to start a new chapter of politics with you all at the center," he said from on top of a van as voters waved yellow banners and fans, the campaign color for the Democrats' local candidate.
The decade-old Democratic Party has its best-ever shot at seizing power from the LDP, which has ruled for all but 10 months since its creation in 1955 and is struggling with new challenges such as a fast-aging population and China's rising clout.
News on Monday that Japan's economy returned to growth in the second quarter will probably do little to revive the LDP's fortunes, analysts said, even though the figures marked the end of Japan's longest recession since World War Two.
VOTER ANGER
Aso, the 68-year-old grandson of a former prime minister and a fan of "manga" comics popular with young people, is the third LDP premier in as many years. His two predecessors stepped down after their approval ratings plummeted.
He took office last September but his hopes of leading the party to victory have slid after a string of policy flip-flops, verbal gaffes and scandals in his cabinet.
To woo back voters, Aso is crediting the LDP's economic stimulus packages with helping Japan weather the global financial crisis and has accused the Democrats of being weak on security policy and irresponsible on financial issues.
"It is the LDP who will protect Japan. It is the LDP who will protect all the people's livelihoods," Aso told a big gathering of mostly party supporters on the outskirts of Tokyo. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Peace first, normal ties with Israel second: Mubarak
Special Coverage: Afghanistan and Pakistan
Road to the election
The outcome of the presidential vote in Afghanistan on Thursday hangs on the clout of old warlords and the threat of violence. Full Article | Full Coverage
Possible outcomes of Afghan election
More International News
South Korea rocket launch bound to rile the North
Rockets hit capital two days before Afghan vote
China cancels Australia visit as relations sour
Peace first, normal ties with Israel second: Mubarak
Former South Korean leader Kim Dae-jung dies
More International News...
Related News
FACTBOX: Japan election pledges: How the main parties differ
12:52am EDT
FACTBOX: Policy challenges facing Japan's next government
12:52am EDT
Asia looks for signs of life in poll-bound Japan
12:52am EDT
FACTBOX: Possible Democratic Party of Japan finance ministers
12:52am EDT
Featured Broker sponsored link
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Building block of life found on comet
UPDATE 1-Mexican drug smugglers tied to California fire
Three indicted in largest U.S. identity theft scheme
Reader's Digest plans prearranged bankruptcy
Chavez says Obama "lost in space" on Latin America
Expansive China faces grass-roots resentment
Former South Korean leader Kim Dae-jung dies
Fox News' "Glenn Beck" loses advertisers
Strep throat may have killed Mozart: study
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia stocks sag as China shares extend losses
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Pilot killed in Russian jet crash
Russia dam accident, dozens missing
Jesse Jackson crowned prince
Dozens die in Kuwait wedding fire
Obama asks for patience
Myanmar deports jailed American.
Wildfires rage in California
Suicide bomber attacks Ingushetia
N Korea reopens border with South
Bolivia crash on 'Highway of death'
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Your View
Where were you when the Wall came down?
Did you live under the communist regime of East Germany? Sneak across the border to escape to West Berlin? Celebrate the fall of the wall in 1989? Send us your images. Blog
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Journalism Handbook |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.