DPJ Alarmed by Falling Cabinet Support Rates

Tokyo, April 12 (Jiji Press)--The ruling Democratic Party of Japan
is increasingly alarmed by falling public support for the cabinet of Prime
Minister Yukio Hatoyama in the run-up to this summer's House of Councillors
election.
Hatoyama, also DPJ president, told reporters on Monday that his
government is at a crucial point, referring to recent media polls that
showed support rates for the Hatoyama cabinet have slipped below a key
threshold of 30 pct.
The DPJ-led coalition government will step up efforts to solve
pending problems, Hatoyama stressed.
Separately, DPJ Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa said at a press
conference that he will work hard to obtain understanding and support from
the public for policies of the ruling party.
At the day's meeting of senior DPJ officials, Hajime Ishii, chief
of the party's election committee, said that the DPJ needs to take the
results of the opinion polls seriously and step up preparations for the
Upper House election.
The party should try hard to get as many DPJ candidates as possible
to win seats in the coming election, he added.
The Hatoyama government faces a host of challenges, including the
issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in Okinawa
Prefecture, southern Japan, and a review of the DPJ's campaign manifesto for
last year's House of Representatives election due to a shortage of financial
resources.
Later this month, the government is set to start the second round
of work to check the operations of government-affiliated organizations in a
bid to eliminate wasteful spending. But the program is unlikely to help
shore up the slumping cabinet support rating, observers said.
One DPJ lawmaker said that the Hatoyama government, which has
promised to reach a decision on a Futenma relocation site by the end of May,
could face a critical situation if it fails to miss the deadline.

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