More than half of ruling party politicians mired in a fund-raising scandal lost in the Oct. 27 Lower House election, while some prominent party figures managed to buck the trend. 

Hakubun Shimomura, a veteran Liberal Democratic Party member who was seeking his 10th Lower House term, lost in the Tokyo No. 11 district.

Shimomura, 70, served as secretary-general of the Abe faction, which was at the center of the political fund scandal.

The group was led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot to death while campaigning in Nara two years ago.

Shimomura had his LDP membership suspended over the scandal and ran as an independent without party endorsement.

When his projected loss was reported, Shimomura visited his office and shook hands with each of the 20 or so supporters who had gathered there.

“I apologize for not being able to repay your support,” he said, bowing. “I will work hard and devote myself to regaining trust.”

Many LDP lawmakers were found to have failed to properly report large proceeds from fund-raising parties held by their intraparty factions.

Forty-six politicians implicated in the scandal ran in the Lower House election.

Shimomura and 27 others lost, while the remaining 18 secured their seats.

Takeshi Takagi, who was counted among the Abe faction’s five future leaders, was another politician excluded from the LDP ticket over the scandal.

Takagi, 68, lost in the Fukui No. 2 district after fighting a bitter campaign as an independent.

He often spoke in a tearful voice during speeches.

“The election outcome is my fault,” he told supporters on Oct. 27. “I am truly sorry.”

The number of organizations that endorsed him fell from about 260 to only about 140.

“This time around, every request we made for an endorsement was turned down,” said a Takagi campaign official.

Kiyoshi Odawara, who lost in the Tokyo No. 21 district, blamed the LDP headquarters’ decision to provide 20 million yen ($132,000) to party branches headed by non-endorsed candidates like himself. 

That was the same amount that candidates running on the party ticket received.

LDP candidates, from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on down, faced added voter backlash when the news broke in the final stages of the campaign period.

“(The money has been transferred) at the worst possible time,” said Odawara, 60.

He repeatedly apologized for the scandal during speeches, but to no avail.

Of the 46 scandal-tainted politicians in the running, 34 were placed on the LDP ticket but were not allowed to be listed on the party’s proportional representation roster.

It meant that they did not have a chance to secure a seat unless they won in a single-seat constituency.

Tamayo Marukawa, one of them, lost in the Tokyo No. 7 district after switching from the Upper House.

When her projected loss was reported, Marukawa, 53, said, “I tried my best to explain (about the scandal), but I failed to win credibility.”

The 18 candidates who prevailed include four of the Abe faction’s former five future leaders: Koichi Hagiuda, Yasutoshi Nishimura, Hiroshige Seko and Hirokazu Matsuno.

Hagiuda, 61, ran in the Tokyo No. 24 district as an independent and edged out a rival from the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

“Unfortunately, many of our fellow politicians lost their seats,” he told supporters. “We created the primary cause and are keenly aware of our responsibility.”

Nishimura, 62, had his LDP membership suspended over the scandal and ran as an independent in the Hyogo No. 9 district.

But he received all-out backing from his supporters’ organizations during the campaign.

“It was a very tough election,” he said when his projected victory was reported. “I want to realize politics that the people can trust.”

Seko, 61, quit the LDP after the governing party urged him to leave over his role in the scandal.

He switched from the Upper House to run in the Wakayama No. 2 district and trounced a son of former LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, who ran on the LDP ticket.

“Many people told me to go for it again,” Seko said when his projected triumph was reported.

He also apologized, saying, “We must sincerely reflect on (the scandal).”