Japan Election: LDP’s Shinjiro Koizumi Acknowledges Responsibility over Projected Results

The Yomiuri Shimbun

22:29 JST, October 27, 2024

Shinjiro Koizumi, who chairs the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Election Strategy Committee, acknowledged that his party would face tough results in Sunday’s general election.

“I’m afraid the situation is really bad,” he said at the party headquarters on NHK. “This is my responsibility as I’m chair of the Election Strategy Committee.”

A political funds scandal involving some of the LDP’s factions was a point of contention during the election campaign. “We haven’t been able to settle the issue within the LDP,” Koizumi said. “I think that various factors, including this [funds scandal], have led to severe headwinds and severe judgment [against us].”

If the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito fail to win a majority, he said that the party would “ask for cooperation from as many people as possible.”

“We will face a mountain of issues while reflecting on our actions so we can tackle the problems [of the nation].”