Japan’s LDP concerned about headwinds in Lower House by-elections

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is concerned that it will face headwinds in three parliamentary by-elections in April as the party is under fire over a political funds scandal involving its intraparty factions.

Some LDP members are proposing that the party forgo fielding a candidate in at least one of the April 28 by-elections in the Nagasaki No. 3, Tokyo No. 15 and Shimane No. 1 constituencies for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament.

The Nagasaki race is designed to fill the vacancy left by the departure of Yaichi Tanigawa, a former LDP member who quit the Lower House over the funds scandal. On Wednesday, LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi and election strategy chief Yuko Obuchi met with the head of the party’s Nagasaki prefectural chapter but they did not reach a conclusion on whether to field a candidate in the constituency.