Japan’s Ruling LDP to Allow Lawmakers Involved in Political Funds Scandal to Have Dual Candidacy in Expected Election

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:19 JST, January 18, 2026

The Liberal Democratic Party plans to allow House of Representatives lawmakers who failed to properly report income in political funds reports to run with dual candidacy in the expected general election, executive members of the party said Saturday.

The lawmakers received in-house penalties in connection with violations of the Political Funds Control Law among party factions.

They will be allowed to simultaneously run in constituencies and proportional representation races in the general election.

In a general election in October 2024 under then LDP President Shigeru Ishiba, the LDP endorsed the lawmakers in question in constituencies but did not allow them to be candidates in proportional representation blocs at the same time, citing the political funds scandal.

Then LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama said, “We should show that our party complies with the rules.” Most of the penalized party lawmakers were members of now defunct party factions led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai.

Many of the penalized LDP lawmakers lost their Diet seats, leading to resentment within the party.

Current executive members of the LDP aim to allow all the lower house lawmakers in question to run with dual candidacy without exception due to some lawmakers having been reelected in the 2024 general election after the political funds scandal surfaced, with executive members aiming to avoid intraparty fragmentation.

In connection with the issue, LDP Secretary General Shunichi Suzuki told reporters in Morioka on Saturday, “I don’t think [criticisms against the party involving money-and-politics problems] have been totally wiped out.”

He added, “All we can do is firmly comply with the rules.”