DPJ closer to taking over gov't, but political power in question

Having had its ups and downs since its launch 10 years ago, the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan is seen to have come closer than ever to taking over the government, buoyed by its victory in last year’s House of Councillors election.

Now that the DPJ is the biggest group in the upper house and controls the chamber along with other opposition parties, it has been giving Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda’s government a difficult time in advancing policies that need parliamentary approval.

But the party’s political power remains in question as pundits note the lack of experience in party management and policymaking as well as a seeming division in the party with some members opposing the ideas of DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa.

The current DPJ was launched April 27, 1998 when the former Democratic Party of Japan, the Good Governance Party, the Amity Party and the Democratic Reform Party merged into a new party under the DPJ banner.

At the time, the new DPJ, led by current Acting President Naoto Kan, had a combined 131 seats in both houses of the Diet while the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had 379. As of Jan 22 this year, the DPJ’s seats had grown to 221 seats as opposed to 387 for the LDP.

In the meantime, the DPJ, which initially had the image of being weak, merged in September 2003 with the Liberal Party, whose president, Ozawa, brought with him a stronger image to the body.

The DPJ made strides in the House of Representatives election held in November 2003 and in the upper house polls in July the following year.

But it was overwhelmed by the LDP in the September 2005 general election when then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi asked the people whether or not they supported his postal privatization plan, showing the DPJ had not taken root in regional areas.

After Ozawa, who places importance on local communities and often goes to stump in various parts of the country, took the helm of the party in April 2006, the DPJ’s presence began to spread in outlying regions.

In the most recent national election held for half the seats in the upper house last July, the DPJ defeated the LDP and its coalition partner, the New Komeito party, bringing about a ‘‘contorted’’ Diet in which different parties hold the biggest number of seats in the two chambers.

‘‘We had some bumps along the way, but our experiences became the party’s flesh and blood and we grew into a political party with a high level of solidarity under President Ichiro Ozawa,’’ DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama said.

‘‘We are fully showing the ability to hold the reins of government based on Mr. Ozawa’s line,’’ Hatoyama told a press conference.

The DPJ has high hopes of winning the next lower house election so that it can take over the government with control of both houses.

Ozawa said last November that the next general election—which must be held by September 2009 when the current term for lower house lawmakers expires—will be his ‘‘last-ditch fight’’ and that he will put his political career at stake to make sure the DPJ wins.

But the largest opposition party appears to lack unity in some areas, with varying opinions often heard from DPJ lawmakers on matters such as security policy and whether to revise the Constitution.

Ozawa’s term as head of the DPJ expires in September this year, and the names of former party presidents such as Katsuya Okada and Seiji Maehara have been floated as his possible successor. Ozawa, however, is widely expected to seek reelection to the post.

In a recent interview with Kyodo News, Kan said the DPJ needs to acquire patience in its quest for a change in government.

‘‘One needs to attack in order to take power, but when that is not possible in a short period, it is a matter of how patient one can be,’’ Kan said. ‘‘We have changed quite a bit, but our perseverance is still scant.’’