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Japanese vote in key Tokyo polls Blow to Japan's PM in Tokyo poll
(about 23 hours later)
People in Tokyo are voting in local polls considered a key test of popularity for Prime Minister Taro Aso. The ruling coalition of Japan's PM Taro Aso has been defeated in a Tokyo local election seen as a key popularity test, preliminary results suggest.
The polls in the capital come ahead of a general election which must be held by October. The loss to the opposition Democratic Party (DPJ) comes ahead of a general election which must be held by October.
Taro Aso, whose Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed for almost all the past half-century, has approval hovering around 20%. The DPJ won 54 seats to 38 for Mr Aso's Liberal Democratic Party, ending four decades of dominance in the assembly.
The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is hoping to break the LDP's grip on power. The defeat could increase pressure on Mr Aso to quit as LDP leader before the upcoming nationwide vote.
Voters are deciding who will sit on Tokyo's metropolitan assembly, but the stakes could be higher than that for Mr Aso. The LDP and its coalition partner, New Komeito, together won 61 seats, three short of the 64 needed to secure a majority in Tokyo's 127-member assembly.
If his LDP does badly, moves to oust him from the leadership could intensify. Before the vote, the bloc had 70 seats against 34 for the DPJ.
In the run up to the vote in Tokyo candidates, wearing white gloves and sashes, toured the streets in vans using loudspeakers to campaign. Mr Aso, who is the fourth prime minister since the last election to the more powerful lower house in 2005, has dismal approval ratings hovering around 20%.
But many voters appeared largely indifferent. His LDP party has governed Japan for the past half century, except for a break of less than a year in the 1990s.
Some candidates resorted to making speeches in front of deserted city car parks, their words echoing off the surrounding apartment blocks. But the opposition DPJ has promised to break the grip of the bureaucracy on policy making and increase social welfare measures.
The LDP has governed Japan for the past half century, except for a break of less than a year in the 1990s. Its support, however, has been eroded by fundraising scandals.
But Mr Aso, who is the fourth prime minister since the last election to the more powerful lower house in 2005, has dismal approval ratings. In the run up to the poll, many voters in the capital appeared to be largely indifferent, says the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo.
The opposition DPJ hopes to take power in the next general election, which must be held by October. Candidates wearing white gloves and sashes toured the streets in vans using loudspeakers to campaign, our correspondent says.
It is promising to break the grip of the bureaucracy on policy making, and increase social welfare measures. Some resorted to making speeches in front of deserted city car parks, their words echoing off the surrounding apartment blocks.
But the opposition's support has been eroded by fund raising scandals.