Upset win in Japan mayoral vote

37-year-old Hiroshi Nakada did not expect to win

By Sharon Mofhavi in Tokyo

An independent candidate has been elected mayor of Japan's second-largest city, Yokohama, in what appears to be a sign of growing dissatisfaction with the nation's scandal-hit political parties.

Koizumi's popularity rating is plummeting

Hiroshi Nakada, 37, beat Hidenobu Takahide, 72, a veteran incumbent backed by the ruling coalition parties.

Mr Nakada's surprise win came as a newspaper opinion poll suggested that support for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's government has fallen to its lowest level since he took office last year.

In recent months, members of Mr Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Social Democrats have been implicated in a series of financial scandals.

Political analysts say declining political support could undermine the Japanese Government's ability to implement tough economic reforms.

Surprise result

Hiroshi Nakada was not expected to beat a three-term incumbent to become mayor of Yokohama.

The latest scandal casualty: Opposition MP Kiyomi Tsujimoto

In doing so, the independent candidate has delivered a defeat, not just to his opponent, but to Mr Koizumi as well.

The election result is being viewed as a blow to the prime minister, who had backed the incumbent.

Analysts say the vote demonstrates that the Japanese people want change and that they do not think they are getting it from the prime minister, or from any of Japan's political leaders.

Declining support

They have become increasingly disaffected in recent weeks, as corruption scandals have tainted a range of politicians, both from the ruling party and the opposition.

The scandals have further weakened Mr Koizumi's standing, which has already suffered from his decision earlier this year, to fire his popular Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka.

Polls taken over the weekend show that Mr Koizumi's ratings continue to decline.

His approval figure stands at 45%, a decline of 10% in March alone, according to one survey.

Declining support is likely to make it difficult for Mr Koizumi to implement tough measures to restart Japan's economy, which, after a decade of malaise, still shows little sign of improving.