AGATSUMA, Gunma Pref. — As media speculation mounts that the Democratic Party of Japan will win big in Sunday's Lower House election, Akiyoshi Toyoda, 44, is spending sleepless nights worrying about what may happen to his business if the opposition camp takes power.
Toyoda runs Takadaya, a traditional "onsen" hot springs inn that has been in business since 1795 in Agatsuma's Kawarayu onsen district, where a contentious project to build a dam has been pushed forward under the Liberal Democratic Party's long rule, promising him a chance to relocate from what has become a tourist backwater.
Last month, DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama unveiled his party's campaign platform, which calls for rethinking large-scale public projects, including the Yanba Dam in the northern part of the prefecture.