Japan's political world was rocked Monday by the twin resignations of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan's leader, Ichiro Ozawa, and his top lieutenant, Yuko Hatoyama. Mr. Ozawa has spent the last 15 years forming a succession of parties in a quest to dethrone the Liberal Democratic Party from its position atop Japanese politics -- a spot it's held for the past half-century. Just when it looked like he would achieve his goal, a fundraising scandal involving his top aide has apparently brought him down. Whether his foibles will doom his party's chances to reshape Japan's political map remains to be seen.
Japan's political system has been in flux for the better part of the last decade and a half, in no small part due to Mr. Ozawa. The LDP received an electoral boost during the 2001-2006 administration of the popular Junichiro Koizumi, who as recently as this month topped a public opinion poll that asked who should become Japan's next prime minister. Since Mr. Koizumi stepped down, the LDP has hemorrhaged support, with two prime ministers in a row resigning due to political paralysis and scandal. Current Prime Minister Taro Aso saw his public support plummet to less than 20% until Mr. Ozawa's scandal hit in March. Since then, Mr. Aso's numbers have inched up (yet are still under 30%), while Mr. Ozawa's have dropped.
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