Koizumi leads the way on eve of polls

Holding a leaflet of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, a woman looks at Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during his stumping tour in Tokyo yesterday, the last day of a campaign for today's lower house elections. PHOTO: AFP

Poll after poll has indicated a Koizumi victory, with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) holding a commanding lead in Sunday's vote.

The influential Asahi Shimbun newspaper said a survey of 1,031 voters taken late in the week found support for the LDP had risen three points to 30 percent in the proportional representation section of the poll.

Backing for the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) had only edged up from 18 to 19 percent, the daily said.

The stock market, in an apparent bet on political stability and a win by market-friendly Koizumi, rallied on Friday to a new four-year high.