Despite dismal poll showings for his Liberal Democratic Party, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Monday he will do his utmost to ensure that the LDP retains the 51 seats it has up for grabs in Sunday's House of Councilors election.
"I will do my best" so the party will not fall short of the target number of seats in the triennial election, in which half of the Upper House seats are contested, Koizumi told reporters in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, while stumping for an LDP candidate.
Media polls released over the weekend unanimously predicted that the LDP, of which Koizumi is president, faces an uphill battle to achieve the 51-seat target, although the polls also show a large portion of the electorate still undecided on whom and which party to vote for.