小澤（66歲）今天傍晚在民主黨總部召開記者會，正式表示辭去黨魁一職。他指出，為贏得眾院選舉實現政權輪替，並鞏固全黨的團結，決定辭去黨魁。
對自己的秘書因為西松建設公司的巨額政治獻金醜聞遭逮捕起訴，小澤向支持者道歉，但否認將辭去國會議員或退黨。
小澤指出，他是在剛結束的黃金假期週思考辭去黨魁的問題。他說，在辭去黨魁後將繼續為促成政權輪替而努力。
小澤的首席秘書大久保隆規（47歲）負責小澤的資金管理團體「陸山會」，由於涉嫌接受西松建設公司政治獻金，卻在政治資金收支報告書作假報告而於3月初被逮捕，3月24日遭起訴。
小澤在當天晚上召開記者會，針對秘書遭逮捕造成國民擔心與不安表示歉意，但同時表示，他的看法和檢方不同，對秘書遭逮捕搜查和起訴，他表示不服，強調將繼續擔任民主黨黨魁，在眾院選舉實現政權輪替。民主黨隨後召開黨幹部會議，同意小澤繼續領導。
「讀賣新聞」今天發表的最新民調指出，高達7成1的日本選民對小澤繼續擔任黨魁表示無法接受，最近媒體接多次民調都顯示小澤的戀棧遭到過半數日本選民反對，民主黨內以對選戰不利要求他辭職的聲浪也日增，成為迫使他決定辭職的原因。
本屆眾議員4年任期將於今年9月屆滿，由於首相有解散權，通常任期未滿就改選。以民主黨為首的在野勢力已在參院贏得優勢，若眾院再勝選，將可從自民、公明兩黨聯合政府奪得政權。
小澤於2006年4月獲選為黨魁。他在2007年7月的參院選舉領導民主黨贏得大勝，躍居參院第一大黨，並擁有過半數勢力，小澤成為可奪取政權的在野勢力最佳領袖。
未料，這次發生與政治獻金有關的醜聞，小澤被迫辭職，對民主黨造成打擊。繼任黨魁能否團結民主黨並具有號召力將關係選戰結果，備受日本政界矚目。
隨著小澤的辭職，民主黨著手決定繼任黨魁的方式和手續，有擔任黨魁經驗的現任副黨魁岡田克也，以及代理黨魁菅直人，都被看好是繼任人選。
Japan Opposition Leader Quits Ahead of Election
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, May 11, 2009; 9:29 AM
TOKYO, May 11 -- In this election year in Japan, history-making political change had seemed a sure thing.
The economy was in a deep sinkhole and the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party was in disarray. In late winter, party elders demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Taro Aso, whose approval numbers sank into the single digits.
But scandal has smiled this spring on Aso and his ruling party.
The top aide to the leader of the main opposition party was indicted in March for illegal fundraising. The once-surging poll numbers of the Democratic Party of Japan plummeted. And the veteran leader of the opposition, Ichiro Ozawa, resigned Monday to try to save his party from losing an election that must be held by September.
"I have decided to sacrifice myself and resign as party leader to strengthen our party unity for a clear victory in the next election," Ozawa told a news conference.
"To me, whether I become prime minister is not an issue at all," he added. "We just simply must change this long, rotten government."
Ozawa, 66 and a 40-year fixture in Japanese politics, quit on a day when a national newspaper poll showed that 70 percent of voters do not approve of him. The poll also showed that voters much preferred Aso to Ozawa -- a sharp reversal of public sentiment in recent months.
The resignation will allow the opposition to chose a younger, less-blemished politician to be the face of a party whose policies emphasize consumer rights and transparency in political fundraising.
By selling change and clean government, the party -- under Ozawa's leadership -- had in the past two years outmaneuvered the Liberal Democratic Party, which has dominated Japanese politics for a half-century.
The opposition grabbed control of the upper house of parliament in an election in 2007, and has since been able to embarrass the ruling party and derail many of its policies.
The Liberal Democrats have been plagued over the years by scandals over political contributions, especially from large construction companies milking huge government contracts. The Democratic Party had insisted it was different. It pledged not to take money from construction firms and to break the cozy relationship between government bureaucrats and the companies they funded.
So when Ozawa's top aide was indicted for taking money over several years from a large construction company, the political damage was swift and severe.
Within days, Ozawa's approval ratings sank beneath those of Aso.
In the past two months, political analysts have said that Ozawa would have to quit for his party to have a chance in the elections.
While Aso has clearly benefited from Ozawa's troubles, the prime minister remains deeply unpopular. Since taking office in September, his poll numbers have ranked him as one of the most disliked leaders in postwar Japan.
His popularity has risen from single digits. But the poll in Monday's Yomiuri newspaper showed that his approval rating is still under 30 percent, and 60 percent of those surveyed disapprove of his leadership.
Special correspondent Akiko Yamamoto contributed to this report.
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