Nakasone picked as new LDP upper house leader

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TOKYO, Aug. 11 Kyodo -
Hirofumi Nakasone, former foreign minister, was selected as leader of the
Liberal Democratic Party's upper house caucus on Wednesday, beating Shuzen
Tanigawa who was backed by many senior lawmakers of the opposition party.
As Hidehisa Otsuji's successor, Nakasone will try to bring in young blood to
the LDP leadership and enhance its influence in the House of Councillors,
controlled by the opposition camp after the July 11 election.
The new 64-year-old chairman had urged that the LDP eliminate the entrenched
system of seniority- and faction-based promotions during the campaign for the
chairmanship election, which was held for the first time since 1997.
As for the party's leadership lineup in the chamber, Nakasone said at a news
conference that he will ''aim to place the right people in the right jobs''
regardless of the interests of interparty groups.
Nakasone also said the LDP's handling of parliamentary affairs will vary from
case to case, but the main opposition party will ''fight when it must'' against
the ruling coalition led by the Democratic Party of Japan, which failed to
retain a majority in the chamber.
Tanigawa, 74, entered the race with support from executives of major LDP
factions. His loss may lead to a remake of the LDP's intraparty political map,
analysts say.
The election ended in a draw, with Nakasone and Tanigawa both winning 40 votes
from a total of 82 upper house LDP lawmakers. The new chief was chosen by
lottery in accordance with the LDP rules.
For many years, the LDP did not hold an election for the post because some
heavyweights had virtually absolute power over selecting the leader of its
upper house caucus.
==Kyodo
2010-08-11 21:56:21