Japan Same Old Story

Following its humiliating defeat in last month's upper-house elections, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party groped for ways to restore its scandal-ridden reputation. Last week the majority of the party threw its support behind a single candidate for Prime Minister, Toshiki Kaifu, 58, but it is doubtful whether his selection has done much to restore the party's honor.

Right after the elections, the L.D.P. announced that it would select a new leader by ballot rather than through the kind of back-room parleying that brought Noboru Takeshita and Sousuke Uno to power. While party members nominated three candidates, senior power brokers reverted to habit and backed Kaifu, a faceless and seemingly malleable Diet member, as Prime Minister.

Kaifu is little known except for his oratorical talent and his pleasant personality. Those were exactly the qualifications that appealed to such influential L.D.P. members as Takeshita and former Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe. They see Kaifu as young and attractive enough to appeal to the public but docile enough to heed his elders. Anyone more outspoken could threaten the delicate balance among the party's four major factions, which operate like separate clubs and compete for Cabinet posts.

Kaifu, though regarded as a bright and rising legislator, boasts few achievements during nearly three decades in the Diet, except for serving twice as Education Minister. "He's a good-natured person," says Mitsuo Tomizuka, a former labor leader who once negotiated with Kaifu. "But I worry about whether he can lead people, whether he can assert independence."

The L.D.P. chieftains may like Kaifu's marionette qualities, but the real test for the party will be the next elections for the lower house, which are expected within a year. The opposition parties were quick to decry Kaifu's candidacy as a sign that the L.D.P. would not reform itself along more democratic lines. The L.D.P. hopes that Kaifu, the star of his university debate team, will simply outspeak his opponents.