Japanese PM re-elected as ruling party leader

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) re-elected Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda as a party leader on Friday. Noda, 55, will remain premier, given DPJ's current majority in the more powerful Lower House. With the backing of many lawmakers, Noda easily won 818 points out of a total of 1,231 points in the presidential election, in which he faced three challengers, including former internal affairs minister Kazuhiro Haraguchi. Noda, who became premier in September 2011, has been losing popularity in recent months, partly due to the government's controversial proposal to double the sales tax rate by 2015 to address Japan's huge public debt. The main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will also pick its new leader next week, and the winner might become prime minister in the near future, as recent opinion polls have shown that the LDP has won more support than the DPJ. The LDP and its coalition partner New Komeito are increasing pressure on Noda to dissolve the Lower House for a general election soon. Last month, Noda agreed with leaders of the two opposition parties to jointly work for a quick passage of sales tax hike and social security reform legislation in exchange for Noda's promise to call a general election "sometime soon." Parliament enacted the bill on August 10, but the premier has not yet mentioned when to dissolve the Lower House.