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FOCUS: Ex-LDP heavyweight Ozawa likely to take over DPJ+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, April 1_(Kyodo) _ Ichiro Ozawa, a former heavyweight of the Liberal Democratic Party, is emerging as a likely successor to Seiji Maehara as president of the nation's main opposition Democratic Party of Japan. The emergency of Ozawa follows the party's turmoil, fed by a scandal over the fake e-mail fuss that has forced its entire leadership into resignation. On Friday afternoon, the party agreed that Maehara and other top executives will resign to take responsibility for the scandal, which stemmed from an e-mail used on Feb. 16 by then DPJ lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata at a Diet panel to allege that shady money was remitted to a senior governing party legislator. Ozawa, former DPJ vice president, has emerged as the most powerful candidate for the presidency after the party's charismatic former President Naoto Kan indicated his intention to form an alliance with Ozawa. Kan, who himself was viewed as a presidential candidate, indicated Friday night that he intends to seek the possibility of working with Ozawa. The two are expected to meet early next week. Born in May 1942, Ozawa is seen as one of the most influential figures in Japanese politics, known for behind-the-scenes maneuvers. Formerly a leader of the LDP, he founded the breakaway party Shinseito in 1993, with Tsutomu Hata, then prime minister. He later became the leader of the New Frontier Party and the Liberal Party before joining the DPJ. In order to elect a new president, the DPJ is scheduled to accept presidential candidates for an hour from 9 a.m. next Friday. The votes will be cast from 3 p.m. at an open meeting of all DPJ lawmakers from both chambers of the Diet on the same day. "We should keep the upcoming election from leading to a party split," Kan told reporters after holding talks with his colleagues in the DPJ. House of Representative member Nagata, whose DPJ membership is currently suspended, has submitted his resignation as a lawmaker to lower house Speaker Yohei Kono. His resignation is likely to be approved at the chamber's plenary session on Tuesday. With the resignation, the Diet will not call the provider of the e-mail message, freelance journalist Takashi Nishizawa, to give sworn testimony, which could have dealt a huge blow to the party's credibility. On Friday, the DPJ released an analysis saying that Nagata misled senior party members into believing the e-mail message was authentic. A group of midlevel and younger DPJ members close to Ozawa agreed Friday afternoon to endorse him as a candidate for the president. Ozawa, in turn, expressed his willingness, saying "Let us do our best." DPJ Vice President Hirotaka Akamatsu, who leads a faction comprising former members of the Japan Socialist Party, has also indicated his support for Ozawa. DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama also showed positive views about endorsing Ozawa. But some of the younger DPJ members estranged by Ozawa say that they will support DPJ elder Kozo Watanabe, who is the party's Diet Affairs Committee chairman. Watanabe should be chosen, through talks, and serve as a caretaker party president at least until September when a regular presidential election is to take place, they say. At an open meeting of all DPJ lawmakers from both chambers of the Diet on Friday, Maehara offered an apology, saying that it was his responsibility that the e-mail scandal has dragged on this far. Maehara, once regarded as a major candidate to be a future prime minister, was elected DPJ president just six months ago. The party presidential election was held after the DPJ lost 64 seats in the 480-seat lower house, while the LDP captured 296 seats against the DPJ's 113. The LDP's coalition partner New Komeito party took 31. "I'll work on rebuilding the party and making democracy in Japan functional," Maehara said at a news conference after winning the presidential election. Ironically, the largest opposition party seems to have no choice but to focus on averting its collapse for a while rather than devoting its energy to wresting power from the ruling coalition. The DPJ is dubbed "a hotchpotch" of politicians with various political positions. DPJ lawmakers include defectors from both the LDP and its one-time rival the Japan Socialist Party, the Social Democratic Party's predecessor. Criticism mounted on the party as it had decided to leave the future of Nagata in his own hands. A senior member of the New Komeito party said Maehara may have thought resignation of the entire leadership was the "only way" to force Nagata to resign as a lawmaker. Nagata is "like a kid," a senior DPJ leader said when he was given to understand that Nagata finally conveyed his intent to step down as a lawmaker. Meanwhile, a midlevel LDP member who is set to support Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe in the governing party's presidential election in September, said Maehara's resignation may "delay a generational change in party leadership." |