Koizumi's son wins seat but some other hereditary candidates lose+

TOKYO, Aug. 31 Kyodo -
Despite growing criticism in Japan of the system in which politicians can
easily inherit their relatives' parliamentary seats, a political career appears
to have been launched in Sunday's election for Shinjiro Koizumi, son of
retiring former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, as a ''hereditary'' lawmaker.

Liberal Democratic Party candidate Shinjiro, 28, who previously served as his
father's secretary, beat his rival and lawyer Katsuhito Yokokume, 27, of the
Democratic Party of Japan in the Kanagawa No. 11 district to follow in his
father's footsteps in an area long dubbed the ''Kingdom of Koizumi.''
''It was a fierce battle as the wind wouldn't stop blowing against me,'' a
stern-looking Shinjiro said at his campaign office in Yokosuka, Kanagawa
Prefecture.
''We need to rebuild the LDP as if we were establishing a new political
party,'' he said, as the LDP relinquished its grip on power for the first time
in more than five decades, excluding one brief interlude.
His beaten rival Yokokume managed to secure a seat in the proportional
representation section of the election.
At the other end of the spectrum are two sons of LDP heavyweights who both lost
their seats.
Jun Tsushima and Shoichi Usui were casualties in the backlash against the
hereditary practice that some critics say gives bluebloods an advantage over
newcomers in soliciting donations and gaining support thanks to their name
recognition.
In the Aomori No. 1 single-seat district, 42-year-old independent Jun failed to
secure the seat previously occupied by his father, Yuji Tsushima, a former LDP
lawmaker who led a key party faction and served as health minister as well as
the LDP's taxation system research panel chief.
''The responsibility (for the loss) all lies with me,'' Jun, grandson of
renowned writer Osamu Dazai, said in apologizing to his supporters at his
campaign office in Aomori Prefecture.
Jun ran as an independent in the election after the LDP decided against
endorsing him as an official party candidate, reflecting uneasiness over the
hereditary system. Rival Hokuto Yokoyama, 45, of the DPJ took the seat instead.
LDP candidate Shoichi, 34, also lost his bid to win the Diet seat of his
father, former justice minister Hideo Usui, and succumbed to DPJ rival Kaname
Tajima, 47, in the Chiba No. 1 district.
The issue of hereditary politicians only recently gained serious media
attention and became controversial ahead of Sunday's polls as the latest four
prime ministers -- Junichiro Koizumi, Shinzo Abe, Yasuo Fukuda and Taro Aso --
are all from political families with Diet member relatives.
Voter dissatisfaction grew stronger following the abrupt resignations of Abe
and Fukuda, who some labeled as ''gutless,'' and also Koizumi's decision to try
to pass his constituency on to his son Shinjiro in the election.
Both the LDP and DPJ are now taking action against such bluebloods, with the
LDP deciding not to endorse such candidates from the next general election,
while the DPJ noted in its manifesto that it would not endorse or support
candidates to run in the constituencies of relatives within three degrees of
kinship or of spouses.
==Kyodo