[“日 자민당 단독과반 붕괴”]
‘Faction slush fund scandal’ is the biggest loss… High inflation and growing dissatisfaction with economic recession
Turning our backs on the ‘absolutely powerful’ Liberal Democratic Party… Ishiba, weakening leadership is inevitable
In the Japanese House of Representatives (House of Representatives) election (general election) held on the 27th, Japanese voters appear to have chosen change. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at his final campaign rally in Tokyo the day before, “We cannot entrust the country to irresponsible people. Although he appealed that “the only political parties that can run Japanese national affairs are the Liberal Democratic Party and (ruling coalition) Komeito,” he failed to persuade voters.
Voters who were sick of corrupt politics due to the slush fund scandal of the Liberal Democratic Party faction that broke out at the end of last year and suspicions of collusion with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification that arose after the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe turned their backs on the “absolutely powerful” Liberal Democratic Party.
According to the vote counting situation as of 10:40 p.m. on this day and NHK Broadcasting and Asahi Shimbun exit polls (8 p.m.), the Liberal Democratic Party is likely to secure the fewest number of seats in 15 years since 2009, when it lost power. There is an assessment that if the Liberal Democratic Party fails to carry out drastic reforms in the future, it will be forced to worry about a change in government. In addition, Prime Minister Ishiba, who took office on the 1st of this month, took responsibility for the election loss less than a month after taking office and was on the verge of stepping down as prime minister for a short period of time.
● The biggest failure was the slush fund scandal.
The Liberal Democratic Party is expected to fail to secure a majority for the first time in 15 years, and the ‘factional slush fund scandal’ is cited as the biggest reason for its virtual defeat in this general election.
The fact that the hard-line conservative Abe faction, which was the largest faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, siphoned off some of the political funds collected from supporters associations without recording them in the ledgers and paid them to their members as kickbacks began in earnest at the end of last year. Public dissatisfaction with the Liberal Democratic Party grew, and former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave up running for a second term as his approval rating fell to the 10% range.
Following the long-standing Liberal Democratic Party strategy of dissolving the National Assembly and maintaining power when public expectations were high after the launch of a new cabinet, Prime Minister Ishiba dissolved the House of Representatives eight days after taking office and held an early general election. But the winning strategy did not work. Although 12 lawmakers involved in slush funds were excluded from nomination, an exit poll (Kyodo News) showed that 74% of voters responded, “I voted considering the slush fund issue,” sending a cold stare. The issue of the ’20 million yen (approximately 180 million won) grant’ that emerged at the end of the election fueled angry public opinion. When it was revealed that the headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party had paid political party grants, which are national taxes, to the party branch of a candidate who was excluded from nomination due to slush fund issues, criticism erupted for “exclusion of nominations that were only a facade.”
Prime Minister Ishiba said at a press conference during the vote counting, “We recognize that this is a very difficult situation. “I received a very severe judgment,” he said, admitting defeat. Regarding his future actions, he denied the resignation theory, saying, “I don’t think I should say such things (about my future).”
● Increasing political instability in Japan
According to the exit polls of major media outlets, not only the majority of the Liberal Democratic Party but also the majority of the Liberal Democratic Party and the ruling coalition are at risk, so there is a high possibility that the Japanese political situation will become more unstable. With well over half of the seats, the government and the ruling party have been running state affairs and passing bills as desired, but there is a high possibility that they will face difficulties starting with the re-nomination of the prime minister, which will be held at the National Assembly in early November. Since no political party has a clear grip, depending on the situation, factions and factions may arise from time to time within the Liberal Democratic Party and between opposition parties.
In the mid-1990s and late 2000s, when the Liberal Democratic Party failed to secure a majority and was unable to take power, there was a precedent of repeated cabinet resignations and replacements of prime ministers almost every year.
Kyodo News reported, “With the failure of the Liberal Democratic Party to secure a single majority, the weakening of Prime Minister Ishiba’s central power has become inevitable,” and “Dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Ishiba is growing within the party, especially among the former Abe faction, which was excluded from nomination.”
Hiroshi Shiratoshi (白鳥浩), a professor of political science at Hosei University, said, “The LDP set the goal of securing a majority together with Komeito, but whether the LDP alone had a majority was the de facto criterion for victory or defeat,” adding, “If the LDP fails to secure 200 seats, “There is a possibility that Prime Minister Ishiba will resign,” he predicted.
Tokyo = Correspondent Lee Sang-hoon [email protected]
Reporter Yunjin Kim [email protected]
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