Following the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is facing tricky political questions in his home prefecture of Yamaguchi — and the answers are likely to impact a Lower House district realignment plan that was creating controversy within the party even before Friday.
Abe represented the Lower House’s Yamaguchi No. 4 district, an area that includes the port city of Shimonoseki. Under the election law, if a seat in the Lower House becomes vacant before Sept. 15, a runoff election should be held on the fourth Sunday of October.
However, because the Supreme Court is still hearing a trial related to voter disparity issues in last October’s Lower House poll, the timing of the Yamaguchi No. 4 runoff election will depend on when the court issues its ruling. If it comes on or after Sept. 16, an election would not take place until next April or later.