TOKYO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Japan's largest labor union group and opposition party leaders criticized Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Saturday on May Day rally in Tokyo, blaming him for widening income gaps.

    "The expansion in disparities immobilizes the low-income population, leads to a rapid increase in households receiving public welfare and heightens anxiety about the future." Tsuyoshi Takagi, president of Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, told tens of thousands of people at the annual rally in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park.

    Takagi blamed Koizumi's policy for the situation, saying that "Japan is heading toward a path of worries and concerns."

    Opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Ichiro Ozawa attended the rally in Tokyo and sought the opportunity to gather support and confidence for his party.

    The ruling government, "which is full of vested interests and constraints, cannot carry out structural reforms," the recently elected leader of Japan's largest opposition said, "five years of the Koizumi politics has created a monster, the law of the jungle."

    Ozawa stressed that his party will "create a fair society in which truly hard-working people will be rewarded."

    Rengo estimated that over 200,000 people attended May Day rallies across Japan on Saturday, calling for efforts to bridge the economic disparities, and solve problems at workplace. Enditem