Close results in Japan's upper house election: exit polls

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2004

TOKYO (AFP) — Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's ruling party was trailing slightly behind the main opposition party, according to exit polls released shortly after the close of upper house election.

The private broadcaster TV Asahi network predicted Sunday that Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had won 46 out of 121 seats up for grabs, compared with 52 for the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).

A change of government was not at stake because the ruling coalition holds a majority in the powerful lower house of parliament.

But if the LDP failed to retain its strength in the upper house, Koizumi might face pressure from within his own party to step down.

Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) put its exit poll results at 48 seats for...