TOKYO - SUPPORT for Japan's main opposition Democratic Party fell in a media poll published on Monday, as Prime Minister Taro Aso mulled calling a general election to resolve any deadlock over economic stimulus.

The government was set on Monday to submit to parliament a supplementary budget to fund a record 15.4 trillion yen (S$237 billion) package to rescue Japan's recession-hit economy. Mr Aso has said he may call an election if the opposition-led upper house moves to stall the bill.

Support for Mr Aso rose to 32 per cent in the poll published in the Nikkei business daily, up 7 percentage points on the previous poll, which was taken in March.

When asked which party they would vote for in the next election 31 per cent opted for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), up 3 percentage points on the previous poll and even with the Democrats, who had led the poll for five months, the Nikkei said. An opposition victory would end more than five decades of almost unbroken rule by the conservative, business-friendly LDP.

The Democrats had looked likely to win the election, which must be held by October at the latest, until an aide to leader Ichiro Ozawa was charged over a political funding scandal last month. The poll was carried out by telephone at the weekend, the paper said. -- REUTERS