Campaigning for the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party is now in full swing. The party is struggling to recover from the fallout of the Aug. 30 Lower House electoral battle against the Democratic Party of Japan, when defeat forced the LDP out of power after more than 50 years of rule. It is hoped that this party election will result in building a constructive opposition party, which is indispensable for healthy parliamentary politics in Japan.
Three LDP lawmakers — former Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, former Vice Justice Minister Taro Kono and Mr. Yasutoshi Nishimura, a Lower House member who has just won his third term and is close to former Prime Ministers Yoshiro Mori and Shinzo Abe — are standing as candidates.
What is conspicuous about the presidential race is the fact that popular LDP lawmakers such as former labor and welfare minister Yoichi Masuzoe, former farm minister Shigeru Ishiba and former transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara rather hastily announced their decision not to enter the race. They may feel that reconstructing the party is too difficult.