Japan's opposition Democratic party (DPJ) enjoys a strong lead over the long-ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) in the run-up to the August 30 general election, according to newspaper opinion polls published on Tuesday.
The survey results – the last that can be published before the vote under Japan's election laws – show the DPJ still well ahead of the LDP following debates between the party leaders.
A poll by the Asahi daily found 40 per cent of respondents intended to vote for the DPJ in the proportional representational part of the ballot, compared with only 21 per cent for the LDP. A survey by the Tokyo Shimbun put the DPJ's lead at 35 per cent to 16 per cent.