The results of the Oct. 27 general election could impact not only the position of junior coalition partner Komeito but also that of its head Keiichi Ishii, who was elected leader just three weeks ago.
Ishii and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s goal for the Lower House election is for the Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition to finish with enough votes to keep their majority. The LDP controlled 256 seats when its leader Ishiba dissolved parliament on Oct. 1, while Komeito had 32.
But an LDP slush funds scandal that has damaged public trust in the party means that it could lose a lot of seats this time. Yet it also threatens Komeito, with the opposition asking sharp questions of the party's leadership about why it’s backing 35 scandal-tainted LDP members — including two forced to run without party endorsement and dozens without backup proportional representation candidacy — in district elections in exchange for the candidate asking people to cast their proportional representation vote for Komeito.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.