Voters in Japan’s Oct. 27 House of Representatives election were harshly critical of candidates implicated in the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) slush fund scandal, with many protesting shady money in politics by voting for other candidates. The Mainichi Shimbun analyzed how the scandal affected the race by interviewing voters at polling stations across the country.

In Fukui No. 2 district, where Tsuyoshi Takagi, 68, who was not officially endorsed by the LDP, ran as a candidate, an 89-year-old woman from the city of Echizen said: “The Slush Fund scandal was the biggest I felt that Takagi had not explained it properly, and I certainly didn’t want to vote for him this time.” Instead, she cast her vote for a candidate from the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), whom a friend had recommended and who “seemed determined to work hard in politics.” She added angrily, “I hope Takagi retires for good.”

A 30-year-old company employee in Aichi No. 3 District, who lives in the city of Nagoya’s Midori Ward, similarly told the Mainichi Shimbun that the slush fund scandal “weighed heavily” when voting. While she voted for an LDP candidate in the previous general election, this time she chose “a party that has handled the slush fund issue the right way”, voting for a CDP candidate in her single-seat constituency and for the Japanese Communist Party in the proportional representation bloc.

A 55-year-old piano teacher from the Fukuoka prefecture city of Koga, who voted in the Fukuoka No. 4 district, said, “The mud scandal was significant for me.” Although she previously voted for an LDP candidate, this time she voted for a challenger from the People’s Democratic Party, given their stance in favor of selective surname options for married couples and social security issues.

Some voters split their ballots between opposition parties and ruling parties. A 62-year-old university lecturer from Tokyo’s Katsushika Ward voted for Katsuei Hirasawa, 79, who lost the LDP endorsement in Tokyo’s No. 17 Ward, while voting for the CDP. She said: “I wanted to give Hirasawa a chance to build himself up, but I felt a strong need to teach the LDP a lesson with my proportional vote.”

Slush fund scandal not significant to some voters

Meanwhile, some voters did not factor the slush fund scandal into their decision. A 34-year-old corporate worker from Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward who voted in Tokyo’s No. 7 Ward said, “Although the scandal touched me somewhat, I did not feel inclined to actively support any other party.” He voted for the LDP candidate as he did in the last election and said he has high hopes for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government.

A 66-year-old administrative writer from the Fukuoka prefecture city of Yukuhashi voted for the LDP’s Ryota Takeda, 56, in the prefecture’s District No. 11, as he did in the 2021 election. Takeda lost his party’s dual candidacy in the single-seat constituency and proportional representation after failing to report fundraising income. The voter said, “I prioritized what the candidate could do for our community.” A 39-year-old corporate employee from Osaka Prefecture’s Izumisano city in the prefecture’s No. 19 district also voted for the same LDP candidate as last time, saying, “I didn’t think much about the slush fund issue. The candidate seemed the best choice among the options.”

(Mainichi)