TOKYO —

If the upper house of parliament had its way, Japan’s new leader would be Ichiro Ozawa. But what about the public?
 
As ruling party stalwart Taro Aso took office as Japan’s new prime minister on Wednesday, the opposition turned to high gear its demands for snap elections to see who the people support. And more than at almost any time in the past 53 years, that appeared to be a valid question.
 
“We are at the start line for the final showdown,” declared Ozawa, who heads Japan’s largest opposition party.
 
Public opinion surveys conducted recently by several major newspapers suggest the voters are increasingly dissatisfied with the ruling party, and want Aso to call elections soon.
 
That could mean trouble ahead.
 
The ruling party chooses internally who its party chief will be, and their choice automatically becomes prime minister because of the party’s dominance in the lower house of parliament. The last time a major contest was held, in July last year, the Liberal Democrats lost their control of the upper house, primarily to Ozawa’s Democratic Party of Japan.
 
In a largely symbolic vote, the upper house selected Ozawa—not Aso—to be prime minister Wednesday.
 
If the Liberal Democrats lose the lower house, Aso will be out of a job.
 
The ruling party is particularly wary of the resurgent Ozawa. A former Liberal Democrat, Ozawa bolted to form his own party in the early 1990s and the divided Liberal Democrats were soon ousted from power—for 10 months—for the first time since the party was founded in 1955.
 
Ozawa has already instructed his party to start preparing for the polls. The party has established an elections task force and announced more than 100 candidates it intends to field.
 
“The DPJ must put every ounce of its energy into winning this election,” said Naoto Kan, the Democrats acting president. “People often find great strength in times of urgency, and we must use that strength to ensure that we can achieve a change of government.”

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