The Liberal Democratic Party's narrow victory in Sunday's House of Councilors by-election in Saitama Prefecture has given the party a boost ahead of Tuesday's start of official campaigning for the Nov. 9 general election.
But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi acknowledged Monday that the result also shows that the LDP must do more to win support among unaffiliated voters -- often a key to electoral victories in urban constituencies.
"It was good for the LDP to win (the House of Councilors by-election) after many people said the LDP would be weak," Koizumi said in his office.