TOKYO, Sept. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reiterated his confidence Monday about his chances of reelection in the Sept. 20 leadership race of the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

　　"I see a good reaction during street speeches," Koizumi said at a press conference. "The reactions of party members are also very good as they tell me such things as they have already voted and are wishing me good luck."

　　"I began to feel that support has spread party-wide," he said, although adding, "I cannot relax my attention as moves of fellow lawmakers remain to be known."

　　Media surveys show Koizumi is likely to defeat his three challengers in the LDP presidential race -- former party policy chief Shizuka Kamei, former Transport Minister Takao Fujii and former Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura.

　　A Kyodo News survey last week indicated Koizumi would get 63 percent of the votes of local party members and affiliates, which translates into 200 of the 300 local votes, plus at least 190 of the 357 votes of LDP lawmakers.

　　Victory in the LDP election goes to the candidate who takes a majority of the combined 657 votes up for grabs. The 300 local votes come from the 47 local LDP chapters based on ballots of LDP rank-and-file members.

　　A survey published Monday by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper showed that Koizumi was likely to get around 60 percent of the LDP lawmakers' votes and nearly half the local ballots. Enditem