Koizumi Favored in Metropolitan Tokyo

…for your amusement…

Last month, the Fuji TV network inexplicably dropped Junichiro Koizumi from its list of potential successors to Prime Minister Fukuda in its telephone poll of 500 adults in Metropolitan Tokyo. This month, Mr. Koizumi is back in the July 17 poll, barely nipping Taro Aso 17.8% to 17.4%. Ichiro Ozawa is a distant third at 11.3%. Overall, 52.2% opted for LDP Prime Ministers while 20.8% chose the opposition. The tabloid-favored candidate Yuriko Koike came in seventh (at 2.6%) among the 14 listed names.

In the July 10 poll, 14.7% preferred an LDP-led administration, 26.8% a DPJ-led administration, and 33.7% an LDP-DPJ Grand Coalition. 19.5% wanted a third-force administration (pox on both houses?), while 5.3% did not indicate any preferences.

Going back to the July 17 poll, the 500 broke 29.6% for the DPJ, 21.4% LDP, 3.6% Communist Party, 3.0% Komeito (giving the current coalition 25%), 0.8% for the Social Democrats, and 0.4% for independents and others, while 1.0% said that they would not vote. That left 40.2% undecided. This is how it’s looked for months.