Naoto Kan retains Japan’s premiership, defeats Ozawa

Tokyo: In a political face-off, the results of which were much awaited around the world, Japan's prime minister, Naoto Kan, warded off a challenge from party colleague, Ichiro Ozawa, to retain his position as leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and also his position as prime minister of the country.

In a multi-tiered voting system Kan secured victory at all the levels amongst DPJ Diet members, local assembly delegates and supporters. The only place where Ozawa really ran him close was in support from the DPJ's Diet, or parliament, members, where the close call of 206-200 in Kan's favour showed the solidity of Ozawa's backing and the fact that he remains an undisputed kingmaker within his own party.

Kan's victory means that apart from fixing his country's many problems he would also now need to fix the badly fractured unity within his own party.

In a multi-tiered voting system, Kan picked up strong support from ordinary party members and supporters, picking up 249 of their ''voting points'' to Ozawa's 51. In the second tier, constituted of DPJ delegates to local government assemblies, he picked up 60 points to Ozawa's 40. In the third and the most important tier, which constituted of the DPJ's Diet members Kan beat Ozawa narrowly squeaking home by a vote of 206 in his favour to Ozawa's 200.

This third tier of Diet members constituted the most important voting bloc accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the total voting points.

The close call will ensure Ozawa's continuing political relevance and compel Kan to reach out to opposing factions through cabinet positions even as he buckles down to solving Japan's myriad problems – the chief of which is a faltering economy.