Ozawa to head Democratic Party of Japan

TOKYO --Maverick politician Ichiro Ozawa was elected Friday to head Japan's top opposition party, facing the tough task of restoring credibility to a party shaken by an embarrassing scandal over a fake e-mail.

Ozawa received 119 of 191 votes cast by lawmakers in the Democratic Party of Japan, beating rival Naoto Kan, who had 72.

Last week executives of the Democratic Party resigned en masse over an email that falsely accused the son of a ruling Liberal Democratic Party member of improper ties to disgraced Internet company, Livedoor.

"I feel great responsibility when I consider the tasks ahead -- the renewal of our party and our road to power," Ozawa said after the vote, to cheers from assembled Democratic loyalists.

Ozawa, 63, a former member of the ruling LDP, is known for his abrasive leadership style and for favoring an expanded role for the country's military in international peacekeeping operations.

His experience and leadership style will be in stark contrast to the party's former head, Seiji Maehara, who stepped down over the e-mail scandal only six months into a two-year term.

Ozawa served as the LDP's secretary general three times before breaking with the party in 1993 to help found the now-defunct Japan New Party. That party was instrumental in breaking the LDP's nearly 40 years of uninterrupted power when together with several other small parties they formed a coalition government in 1993.

Ozawa went on to form the Liberal Party in 1998, before joining the Democrats in 2003.

The veteran lawmaker promised to work hard to better the Democrats' fortunes in next year's upper house elections and has been vocal about improving relations with China, which have fallen to new lows under the government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

In a nod to Koizumi's frequent pledge of "structural reform" in the Japanese economic and political landscape, Ozawa said "change of power is the true structural reform."

"I will call on the public and appeal for the need for a change of power and to establish the Democratic Party government," Ozawa said. Other top party positions will be chosen Saturday.

Koizumi said he never expected a former leader of his own party would head the largest opposition party.

"In those days, (Ozawa) was the top candidate for prime minister, I wasn't even in the picture," Koizumi said. "Mr. Ozawa will be a tough opponent, as he knows the Liberal Democratic Party inside and out."

The Democratic Party's image was torpedoed earlier this year by one of its own lawmakers, who used a fraudulent e-mail in an apparent attempt to discredit the ruling party. The Democrats apologized last month after learning that the allegations made in parliament by lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata were unfounded.

The leadership shuffle marked another retreat for the Democrats, whose gains in elections in 2003 and 2004 had many predicting that a competitive two-party system would emerge in Japan.

But the Democrats were trounced in Sept. 11 elections, with the ruling party scoring a two-thirds majority with its coalition partner.

Maehara then emerged as a fresh new face to reverse the party's slide. Instead, he was challenged as inexperienced, criticized for backing policies too close to Koizumi's, and finally ousted over the fake e-mail.