Members of prime minister YasuhiroNakasone's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have shunned
his support in their campaigns for upcoming local elections.
    "His presence will do more harm than good," an LDP candidate
in Tokyo told Reuters. The candidate is one of several
conservatives who have rebelled and joined the public outcry
against Nakasone's proposal for a five pct sales tax.
    Political analysts said Nakasone might have to step down
before the Venice summit of industrial democracies on June 8-10
if the LDP lost too many major local seats.
    Nakasone's popularity has dropped sharply since he led his
party to its greatest-ever election victory last July, and
analysts said the proposed tax was one reason for the decline.
    Over 2,500 local seats will be filled during two rounds of
polling. The first round is on Sunday, the second on April 26.
    Political analysts said a seat to watch would be the
governorship of Fukuoka, southern Japan. The LDP and two centre
parties are challenging the incumbent governor, Hachiji Okuda,
who is supported by the opposition socialist and communist
parties.
    The proposed tax is a key campaign issue.
    "The LDP and the centrist parties should have about
1,350,000 votes against 700,000 for Okuda. But Okuda is the
incumbent and has the sales tax weapon," said Rei Shiratori,
professor of political science at Dokkyo University.
    "Nakasone will serve out his term to the end of October if
the LDP wins in Fukuoka," he said.
    Analysts believe the opposition is likely to win the
governorship of the northern island of Hokkaido.
    But Kenzo Uchida, professor of political science at Hosei
University, said, "Nakasone can afford to get fairly tough if
the LDP loses only in Hokkaido."
    The opposition parties are campaigning to scrap the sales
tax proposal.
    The tax is one of the main pillars of Nakasone's plan to
overhaul the tax system, which has remained unchanged for 36
years.
    It is also a key element in plans to boost Japanese
domestic demand and cut back on exports. Without the tax
revenue the government would have less to spend on stimulating
the economy.
 REUTER
