The setback suffered by the Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday's House of Councilors election indicates that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's magical voter appeal is ebbing.
With the Democratic Party of Japan, the nation's main opposition force, generating major gains, voters have apparently given Koizumi's hitherto wildly popular political style a big thumbs down, according to analysts.
The election results also show that the influence of the LDP's traditional support groups -- including post office chiefs, business associations and agricultural cooperatives -- is slipping, they said.