Actually, the site is fairly entertaining. --MW Japan's opposition tweaks Hashimoto via Internet 11:05 a.m. ET (1506 GMT) June 29, 1998 TOKYO Japan's largest opposition party is gearing up for key Upper House elections with a saucy Internet web page that pokes fun at Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and his handling of the weak economy. Visitors to the homepage of the Democratic Party of Japan are quizzed on which party leader is likely to destroy the economy: Hashimoto or charismatic Democratic leader Naoto Kan. Clicking on Hashimoto as the answer triggers an image of an erupting Mount Fuji. "Correct! I've had enough!'' it squeals. The homepage appeared earlier this week ahead of the July 12 elections, which are widely seen as a referendum on Hashimoto's management of Japan's dire economic situation. Other quiz questions ask who is wasting Japanese taxpayers' money and who kowtows to Japan's bureaucrats. Again the "correct'' answer is Hashimoto. To the question of which leader will make Japan a better country, the "right'' answer is Kan, who is shown piloting a boat labeled the Good Ship Nippon. Woe betide the web page visitor who gives Hashimoto a vote of confidence. That response shows the prime minister's ship of state sinking. A Democratic Party spokesman said that the number of visits to the party's homepage has doubled to about 10,000 per day since they started the light-hearted quiz earlier this month. ((Tokyo Newsroom +81-3 3432 8018 tokyo.newsroom+reuters.com))
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