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Japanese PM in election setback | Japanese PM in election setback |
(40 minutes later) | |
Mr Kan's party felt well short of the seats it had hoped to win | Mr Kan's party felt well short of the seats it had hoped to win |
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has ruled out calling a snap election following his party's poor performance in upper house polls. | |
Mr Kan, who has only been in office for a month, urged the Japanese public to give his administration a chance. | |
His party won just 44 seats - well short of its goal of 54. | |
The poll - which leaves the ruling Democratic Party of Japan without a majority in the upper house - was seen as a referendum on its 10-month rule. | |
A total of 121 seats, half of the upper house, were being contested in the polls. | |
The DPJ held 62 seats not being contested, and its 44 wins leave it short of the 122 majority needed. | |
Its tiny ally, the People's New Party, won no seats in Sunday's election. | |
The DPJ still has a majority in the more powerful lower house which it can use to force legislation through parliament, but its ability to govern effectively has been challenged. | |
Mr Kan has said he will not resign and late on Monday ruled out calling an early poll. | |
"Only about one month has passed since the launch of my administration and I want the chance to firmly manage this administration with the people of Japan watching," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. | |
Financial fears | |
The DPJ came to power last August, ending half a century of dominance by its main rivals, the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, which won 51 seats. | |
Mr Kan succeeded Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned abruptly after only nine months in office amid funding scandals and a row over an American military base. | Mr Kan succeeded Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned abruptly after only nine months in office amid funding scandals and a row over an American military base. |
The upper house election campaign was dominated by the prime minister's suggestion that Japan needed to discuss the possibility of an increase in sales tax - an issue that has divided voters. | |
Sales tax currently stands at 5%, but Mr Kan had suggested raising this as high as 10%. | Sales tax currently stands at 5%, but Mr Kan had suggested raising this as high as 10%. |
Mr Kan said the country had to make sure it avoided financial collapse. | Mr Kan said the country had to make sure it avoided financial collapse. |
"Japan's economy is 20 to 30 times bigger than that of Greece and its public debt is huge, so no country in the world could rescue Japan," he said on Friday. | |
Japan has been borrowing money for two decades, trying to bring its economy out of stagnation. | Japan has been borrowing money for two decades, trying to bring its economy out of stagnation. |
The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says that what was at stake was whether the prime minister would be able to build a stable political base to tackle the massive national debt. | |
Our correspondent says Mr Kan must now look for allies among smaller parties and the result could leave the prime minister vulnerable to leadership challenges from within his own party. | |
Are you in Japan? Are you worried about the economy? Send us your comments using the form below. | Are you in Japan? Are you worried about the economy? Send us your comments using the form below. |