Asahi Shimbun Emergency Opinion Polls on the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Presidential Election

Dates Conducted

September 20 and 21, 2006

Methodology

The poll was conducted by telephone on September 20 and 21, 2006, of voters from across Japan who were selected by the three-stage random selection method (the “Asahi RDD” method). The number of people who answered all the questions in full is 1062; the ratio of answers is 59%.

Link to Original Source

Data received directly from Asahi Shimbun

Disclaimer

The Mansfield Foundation is responsible for the translation of this Asahi Simbun poll, subject to the Mansfield Foundation Terms of Use.

Survey:

(Numbers shown are %, and are rounded out at the decimal. Sentences and answers are in part abridged.)

Figures in parenthesis are results from the poll conducted on September 8 and 9.

Q1. Which political parties do you support now?

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)	38 (40)
Democratic Party ofJapan(DPJ)	14 (14)
Komeito	3 (3)
JapanCommunist Party (JCP)	2 (1)
Social Democratic Party ofJapan(SDPJ)	1 (2)
The People's New Party	0 (0)
The New PartyJapan	0 (0)
The Free (Liberal) Coalition	0 (0)
Other political parties	0 (1)
Do not support any party	35 (36)
No answer/do not know	7 (3)

Q2. Mr. Shinzo Abe was elected to be the new president at the LDP presidential election. Do you or do you not think his election as the new LDP president is good?

Good	52
Do not think so	22

Q3. Do you or do you not feel affinity toward Mr. Abe?

Feel affinity	59
Do not feel affinity	31

Q4. Do you think Mr. Abe has strong leadership, or not so much?

Has strong leadership	29
Not so much	53

Q5. Do you think Mr. Abe explains his policies, beliefs or ideas clearly, or do you think he is ambiguous?

Explains them clearly	38
Remains ambiguous	42

Q6. Do you think the LDP, with Mr. Abe as its president, will change for the better, for the worse, or remain unchanged?

Change for the better	17
Change for worse	3
Remain unchanged	70

Q7. Let us ask you a question regarding the LDP’s response to the Diet members who left LDP opposing the liberalization of the postal system at last year’s general election. Do you feel resistance to allowing these Diet members to return to the LDP, or do you now feel no such resistance?

Feel resistance	43
Do not feel resistance	42

Q8. Mr. Ichiro Ozawa was elected to be the representative of the Democratic Party of Japan. Do you expect much from Mr. Ozawa, or do you not?

Expect much	43
Do not expect much	44

Q9. Between the LDP’s Mr. Abe and the DPJ’s Mr. Ozawa, which do you think is more appropriate as the prime minister of Japan, Mr. Abe, or Mr. Ozawa?

Mr. Abe	57
Mr. Ozawa	22

Q10. Do you think the LDP-centered government should continue? Or, do you think it will be better to have a change to a DPJ-centered government?

LDP-centered government	43 (44)
DPJ-centered government	25 (34)