So the DPJ has voted in as its leader a man who actively advocates raising the consumption tax (a great vote-winner strategy for the DPJ in the last Upper House election) and who was chosen as the preferred choice as the next PM by a resounding 5 percent of voters in the most recent (I think) Asahi poll (versus Maehara at 40 percent).

Does this disprove the oft-asserted thesis that the desire to win elections is one of the strongest motivating forces for politicians?

To put it another way, are there better explanations for Noda's victory on offer other than (a) a deeply rooted death wish among DPJ Diet members, or (b) mental overload among said Diet members leading to malfunctioning of the intellectual processes?

Peter Cave
Lecturer in Japanese Studies
SLLC, University of Manchester
Samuel Alexander Building
Oxford Road
Manchester M13 9PL
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)161 275 3195
www.manchester.ac.uk/research/peter.cave/=