Japan party chiefs to square off in election debate

By Linda Sieg

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese party leaders were to square off
in a televised debate on Monday, one day before the official
start of a dramatic campaign for a general election that Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi says is a referendum on reform.

Koizumi called the September 11 election after rebels in
his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) joined the opposition this
month to kill bills to privatize the postal system, the core of
his reform agenda to lessen government interference in the
economy.

The campaign, in which Koizumi has been cast by media as a
feudal lord sending “assassins” to destroy “traitors” in his
own party, has gripped Japan’s normally politically apathetic
public.

Financial market players are also watching for clues to
whether Japan will proceed with vital economic reforms, with
many positing that a ruling camp victory would keep reform on
track.

Koizumi’s forceful tactics and pledges of reform — the
same promises he made when he swept to power four years ago —
appear to have resonated with many voters, bolstering support
for the LDP to about twice that for the main opposition
Democratic Party.

Two surveys published over the weekend, however, showed
that support for the Democratics has risen slightly, especially
among “floating voters” who shun any party ties.

The televised debate, to run about two hours from 0400 GMT,
pits Koizumi and his coalition partner, New Komeito leader
Takenori Kanzaki, against the heads of five opposition parties,
including the Democrats and two tiny groups formed by former
LDP rebels.

Democratic Party leader Katsuya Okada, who argues true
reform is possible only by ousting the LDP, has challenged
Koizumi to a U.S. presidential style debate. But Koizumi has
rejected the idea, saying it would be “unfair” to other
opposition parties.

Koizumi has said he will resign if the LDP and New Komeito
fail to win a majority in the 480-seat lower house. Okada has
also promised to quit his post if the Democrats can’t take
power.

LAST MINUTE DECISIONS?

The LDP, which has ruled alone or in a coalition for most
of the past half century, had 249 seats in the chamber before
it was dissolved, while the Democrats had 175.

But the LDP refused to recognize as official candidates 37
incumbents who voted against Koizumi’s bills to privatize the
postal system, a sprawling giant with some $3 trillion in
assets that has long been a source of funds for wasteful public
works.

Most of those candidates still plan to run against LDP
official candidates, many of them women handpicked by Koizumi.

The Democrats and other opposition parties argue that
issues such as pension reform — which tops the list of voters’
policy priorities in most surveys — matter more than postal
reform.

With a hefty group of voters undecided — about 40 percent
according to an Asahi newspaper poll — analysts said it was
difficult to predict how much the tide could shift.

Unaffiliated voters are especially prone to decide at the
last minute.

“There are an awful lot of floating voters who make up
their minds three seconds after they enter the polling booths,”
said Steven Reed, a political analyst at Chuo University near
Tokyo.