Staff writer
Although Ichiro Ozawa won another term at the helm of Shinshinto in the presidential election Thursday, the large number of votes cast for his sole opponent, Michihiko Kano, shows that Ozawa's popularity as leader of the largest opposition party is in decline.
The election has exposed a deep rift between Ozawa's supporters and Kano's allies, and also appears to have further darkened prospects that the party will be able to reverse its trend of declining public support.