Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Monday that the solid majority won by the ruling coalition in the House of Representatives election represents a public vote of confidence in his intention to send Self-Defense Forces units to Iraq.
Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party won 237 seats Sunday. After three successful independent candidates joined the LDP following their victories, the party's Lower House strength stood at 240 seats -- just one short of a single-party majority in the 480-seat chamber.
Combined with the 34 seats captured by New Komeito and the four won by the New Conservative Party, the ruling coalition has 278 seats in the Lower House -- down from its pre-election strength of 286 but still well above what is considered a comfortable majority.