The Liberal Democratic Party won't field a candidate in the Lower House by-election to replace paternal leave champion Kensuke Miyazaki, who resigned over an extramarital affair, a source in the conservative party said.
The decision was made as the ruling LDP doesn't think it has anyone who can win in the No. 3 district of Kyoto Prefecture, given the stink raised over the affair, the source said Saturday. The by-election will be held on April 24.
Miyazaki had made a name for himself by vowing to become the first national lawmaker in Japan to take paternity leave. He resigned from the House of Representatives on Feb. 12 after admitting to having an affair with a woman while his wife, a fellow LDP lawmaker, was pregnant.
LDP Secretary-General Sadakazu Tanigaki told Diet member Shoji Nishida, who heads the local LDP chapter in Kyoto, of the decision on Saturday, but the chapter has not given up on fielding someone. Campaigning kicks off on April 12.
"We will field a candidate if we can complete the necessary procedures," Nishida told a news conference after meeting with Tanigaki in Kyoto.
The Democratic Party of Japan and other opposition parties plan to field candidates for the seat.