日本首相党内领导人地位面临挑战 Japanese PM Facing Party Leadership Challenge
日本执政党民主党的前任干事长小泽一郎说，他将在即将举行的党内领导人选举中同日本首相菅直人进行竞争。
小泽一郎星期四表示，他寻求在9月14号举行的选举中推翻菅直人的日本民主党党魁地位。
小泽一郎是在日本政府正面临日本经济疲软以及日元高涨困扰的时候发起这个挑战的。日元升值使得日本产品在海外市场更加昂贵。
但是菅直人星期四对日本民主党议员表示，小泽一郎的参选是一个积极的举动。
68岁的小泽一郎对民主党在去年的议会选举中获得历史性的胜利起了关键的作用。民主党的获胜结束了保守的自民党50年的执政。
但是由于一个竞选资金丑闻，小泽一郎在议会选举前辞去了民主党党魁的职务。他后来出任民主党干事长一职，即党内第二把手，直到今年6月辞去这一职务。
A former head of Japan's ruling political party says he will run against Prime Minister Naoto Kan in an upcoming party leadership vote.
Ichiro Ozawa announced Thursday he is seeking to oust Mr. Kan as head of the Democratic Party of Japan in its September 14th elections.
Ozawa's challenge comes as the government is struggling to deal with Japan's weak economy and surging yen, which makes Japanese goods more expensive in overseas markets.
But Mr. Kan told DPJ lawmakers Thursday that Ozawa's candidacy was a positive move.
The 68-year-old Ozawa was instrumental in the DPJ's historic parliamentary victory last year, which ended the conservative Liberal Democratic Party's five-decade hold on power.
But he resigned as party leader before the elections due to a campaign fund-raising scandal. Ozawa later served as the DPJ's secretary-general, the party's second-in-conmmand, before quitting that post in June.