Only 10 Candidates Involved in Japan’s LDP Funds Scandal Lead in Election; Only 2 Unendorsed Candidates Lead in Polls

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, October 17, 2024

Only 10 of the 44 candidates who were involved in the Liberal Democratic Party’s political funds scandal are leading in the polls for the upcoming House of Representatives election. Twenty-four of the remaining 34 candidates are in tight races, while another 10 are trailing.

The 10 candidates who were not endorsed by the party face a particularly difficult situation as they cannot expect to receive sufficient support from the LDP.

Of the unendorsed candidates, four — former Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Kentaro Uesugi in Fukushima Constituency No. 3; former State Minister of Cabinet Office Kazuyuki Nakane in Saitama Constituency No. 6; former Foreign Affairs Senior Vice Minister Kiyoshi Odawara in Tokyo Constituency No. 21; and former Economy, Trade and Industry Senior Vice Minister Kenichi Hosoda in Niigata Constituency No. 2 — are trailing Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan candidates.

Veteran politicians — former Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Hakubun Shimomura in Tokyo Constituency No. 11, former LDP Policy Research Council Chairperson Koichi Hagiuda in Tokyo Constituency No. 24 and former LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairperson Tsuyoshi Takagi in Fukui Constituency No. 2 — are all in tight races, as is former State Minister of Cabinet Office Hiromi Mitsubayashi in Saitama Constituency No.13.

Only two unendorsed candidates — former Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura in Hyogo Constituency No. 9 and former Reconstruction Minister Katsuei Hirasawa in Tokyo Constituency No. 17 — are leading in the election.

“This is a really tough election,” LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama said at a stump speech in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, on Wednesday. “I really regret that this led to distrust in politics.”