Seiji Maehara, the newly elected head of the Democratic Party of Japan, is surrounded by reporters Sept. 17.

But the Democratic Party of Japan's humiliating defeat in the Lower House election Sept. 11 has triggered a rush of soul searching and ushered in a new front man who is reinventing the party by turning his back on some of its most cherished policies.

Seiji Maehara, a young conservative, began reshaping the main opposition bloc Sept. 18 by appointing new officers and outlining plans for a stronger military and reduced spending.

He named Yukio Hatoyama, a former leader of the party, as secretary-general while giving the posts of policy chief to Takeaki Matsumoto and that of the party's Diet affairs chief to Yoshihiko Noda.

Maehara, a 43-year-old defense expert, was narrowly elected Sept. 17 to head the DPJ, edging aside staid party veteran and co-founder Naoto Kan.

The new leader said he would re-examine his party's close ties to labor unions, trim wasteful tax spending and push to amend the pacifist Constitution so the country's military would have greater freedom to fight overseas and support its allies. Maehara also wants spending cuts balanced by strong funding for education and other social welfare programs.

Maehara is strong on defense and says the Constitution must clearly give the military the right to fight back if attacked and include a new article stipulating its role in aiding allies.

Those policies approach the aims of the Liberal-Democratic Party, which trounced the DPJ in the general elections.

Maehara said the constitutional revisions are needed to ensure the safety of Japanese troops, 600 of whom are now in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah backing the U.S.-led reconstruction effort.

"What if British or Australian troops protecting public order in Samawah were attacked?" Maehara asked on the Asahi Television talk show Sunday Project. "The defense forces can't do anything. We can't say that's contributing to international action."

The Japan Times Weekly: Sept. 24, 2005
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