Labor unions staged daylong rallies across Japan on Saturday to mark May Day with a call on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to safeguard their jobs in the face of near-record unemployment.
During a rally in Tokyo, opposition party leaders stressed their commitment to toppling the Koizumi administration, asking participants for cooperation in Sunday's three local elections in a move to beat ruling coalition-backed candidates.
"We would like to establish a new government by cooperating with other opposition parties by the end of this year," said Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition group.