A majority of Japanese polled would support Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in dissolving the lower house of parliament and calling elections if lawmakers reject his plan to privatize the postal system, a newspaper survey showed yesterday.
About 53 percent of those asked said they would back Koizumi in disbanding the assembly if the upper house, which is next to vote on the measure, does not pass the reforms, the Mainichi newspaper said. The more powerful lower house approved the plan earlier this month amid deep divisions in Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Only 36 percent of those polled opposed dissolving parliament.
After the lower house vote, Koizumi said rejection of the package by the upper house would be tantamount to a no-confidence vote on his government. The LDP has a firm majority in the lower house, but the battle was expected to be tougher in the largely ceremonial upper house, where the Liberal Democrats dominate only by virtue of a coalition with the Komeito party.
The approval rating for Koizumi and his Cabinet fell 4 percentage points to 37 percent in the latest poll, while the disapproval rate climbed 2 percentage points to 40 percent, the Mainichi said. The approval rate was the lowest since last December.
The postal legislation -- passed in a narrow 233-228 vote on Tuesday -- would privatize Japan Post by 2017, creating the world's largest bank, with 330 trillion yen (US$2.9 trillion) in savings and insurance deposits.
Rejection by the upper house, where it is expected to face strong opposition, would not kill the legislation, but it would embarrass Koizumi, who has staked much political capital on the reforms. Koizumi says the money deposited with the postal service could be invested more efficiently and help the plodding economy.
Critics fear that rural postal services will suffer or that some of the 400,000 postal workers will lose their jobs. Others worry the new bank will drive existing private financial institutions out of business.
The Mainichi polled 1,077 eligible voters nationwide by phone over the weekend. It gave no margin of error.
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