The seniority-based ethos in the Liberal Democratic Party is under threat, with the party leaders putting an upper age limit on the selection of some candidates for the next House of Representatives election.

The LDP, headed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, made a rule in March that it will not select people aged over 73 as official candidates under the proportional representation segment of the election.

But some LDP heavyweights say certain veterans should be exempted from the rule, given their achievements for both the party and the nation.