Of Hydrangeas and Ballots

Nakasone wins a vote of confidence, sort of

His name appeared nowhere on the ballots, but Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone acted as if it did. He carefully screened the candidates who would represent his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), then took to the hustings to campaign on their behalf. Occasionally, the voters seemed to think that Nakasone was running too. In Maebashi, 60 miles northwest of Tokyo in the heart of his own Gumma prefecture, Nakasone was greeted by posters bearing his picture and hundreds of cheering supporters. At one point he recited a haiku praising the local shrubs, and by inference his local constituency. Looking at ajisai [hydrangeas], I feel homesick for Gumma.

When the polls closed, Nakasone had reason to smile--if somewhat thinly. In the first national contest since the LDP designated him to be Prime Minister last November, the party picked up an additional three seats in the 252-member upper house of parliament, boosting its total to 137. (The LDP already controls 284 of the 511 seats in the more powerful lower house.)

The vote was quickly interpreted by partisans as an endorsement of the new Prime Minister and his strong pro-Western views. Nakasone has been particularly outspoken in his support of the Reagan Administration's position that Japan should increase defense spending and further open its markets to imports. The election also buoyed Japan's business community: the Tokyo stock market hit record highs twice last week. On the other hand, the Prime Minister intentionally had skirted foreign policy issues during the campaign. The LDP fell short of its goal of a five-seat gain, and the voter turnout of 57% was the lowest since World War II. The apathetic response could be blamed partly on changes in the electoral system that while designed to focus attention on issues rather than personalities, only confused voters.

The big loser was the opposition Japan Socialist Party, which gave up four of its 48 seats. Plagued by factional fighting, the Socialists alienated themselves from their constituents by arguing over such issues as whether Japan should opt for unarmed neutrality and break its longstanding security treaty with the U.S. The party failed to win a single seat in some of the largest districts, including Tokyo and Osaka. After the election, many members called for the resignation of Chairman Ichio Asukata, 68, who had led the group since 1977.

The upper house will be more fragmented as a result of the election. The Communists gained two seats, raising their strength to 14, while the moderate Buddhist-backed Komeito Party broke even with 27. Most surprising of all, a clutch of single-issue parties that sprang up especially for this election won representation. The Salaried Workers Party, which called for lower taxes, took two seats, while the Welfare Party, which opposed cuts in social services, won one.

As important as the allocation of seats among various parties was the performance of rival factions within the LDP. The largest group, which is led by former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, did best by gaining six seats, raising its overall total in both houses to 117. This could cause trouble for Nakasone, who was chosen Prime Minister with the backing of Tanaka's group. For the past 61/2 years Tanaka has been on trial on charges that he accepted a $2 million bribe from the Lockheed Corp. in 1972. A verdict is expected in early October. Although Nakasone has carefully distanced himself from his controversial patron, he may have to pay more heed now that Tanaka has fortified his own position in the LDP.

The results last week may have bolstered Nakasone, but now he must start fulfilling the promises made when he first took office. He had pledged, for example, to cut income taxes, but the government is already running an annual deficit of $57 billion, more than a quarter of the budget. Most polls, moreover, show that a majority of Japanese oppose higher defense spending. In the coming months, the hydrangeas at home may even look more attractive. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.