Photo/Illutration Akie Abe pulls down a sign bearing the name of her husband, Shinzo, as his office in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is closed on Dec. 28. (Minako Yoshimoto)

The Liberal Democratic Party is facing difficulties selecting a candidate to run in the by-election for the Lower House seat that had long been held by Shinzo Abe.

The LDP’s Yamaguchi prefectural chapter had set Jan. 19 as the deadline for applications from individuals interesting in entering the by-election scheduled for spring.

Abe, a two-time prime minister, was fatally shot on July 8 while giving a campaign speech in Nara city.

While a number of applications were submitted, insiders said Shinji Yoshida, 38, a member of the Shimonoseki municipal assembly, was the leading candidate because Abe’s support group has made clear that it backs Yoshida.

The support group initially wanted Abe’s widow, Akie, to run, but she has long refused to enter politics.

The group then sought out someone else with the Abe name, including the sons of Abe’s two brothers. But that went nowhere.

Other politicians with close ties to Abe, including the current and past mayors of Shimonoseki, were also sounded out about running. No one consented.

A major reason for the hesitancy is the Lower House reapportionment to reduce vote-value disparities.

In the next regular Lower House election, Yamaguchi Prefecture will lose one of its four seats. Nine other prefectures with falling populations will also lose a seat each.

In contrast, urban areas, such as Tokyo and four other prefectures, will gain a total of 10 seats.

The Yamaguchi No. 4 district, which Abe used to represent, will be combined with part of the No. 3 district.

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi now represents the No. 3 district, and he intends to run in the new combined district because he has roots in Shimonoseki, which will be included in the new district.

Both the LDP’s national headquarters and the party faction once headed by Abe refused to get involved in choosing a candidate for the by-election to avoid any political fallout over the new No. 3 district.

The headquarters and faction have left everything up to Abe’s support group.

In the end, Akie persuaded support group leaders to endorse Yoshida. She had approached Yoshida in late November and pointed out that her husband was the same age as Yoshida when he won his first term as a Diet member.

So what is the LDP’s problem with Yoshida?

Well, even members of Abe’s support group admit they had never heard of him before he gave a news conference late last year to announce his intention to pick up Abe’s political baton.

Members of the LDP faction once headed by Abe also said they do not expect Yoshida to have a long career in the Diet.

One lawmaker likened him to a relief pitcher in baseball who enters a game to face just one batter.

The understanding is that Hayashi is just too popular of a politician in Shimonoseki and the rest of the new No. 3 district for anyone to defeat him in the next Lower House election.

(This article was written by Takero Yamazaki and Michio Mizuta.)

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