Photo/Illutration Conservative Party of Japan leader Naoki Hyakuta, right, celebrates upon hearing that former Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura is projected to win a Lower House seat on Oct. 27. (Natsuno Otahara)

The Conservative Party of Japan, a new political organization set up largely by author Naoki Hyakuta, won its first Diet seats on support mainly from middle-aged men, an Asahi Shimbun exit poll showed.

The CPJ secured one seat each in the Tokai and Kinki regional blocs through the proportional representation segment of the Oct. 27 Lower House election.

It had fielded proportional representation candidates for six regional blocs: Hokkaido, North Kanto, South Kanto, Tokyo, Tokai and Kinki.

The exit poll showed that 69 percent of CPJ voters were men and 31 percent were women.

The male percentage was the largest among parties across all 11 regional blocs in the proportional representation segment.

Men accounted for 61 percent of voters for the Democratic Party for the People and 59 percent of those who chose Reiwa Shinsengumi.

The female voter share was the highest for the Social Democratic Party, at 60 percent, followed by junior coalition partner Komeito, at 58 percent, and the Japanese Communist Party, at 57 percent.

By age group, 26 percent of CPJ voters were in their 50s, 20 percent in their 60s, 17 percent in their 40s, and 15 percent in their 70s.

Seventeen to 20 percent of voters for the DPP were in their 20s to 50s.

Twenty-five to 26 percent of the votes for Reiwa Shinsengumi came from those in their 40s to 50s, while the ratios were 21 to 25 percent for Sanseito, and 20 to 21 percent for Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) in the same age range.

However, CPJ voters in general were younger than those for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Komeito, the JCP and the SDP. By age group, voters in their 70s were the biggest supporters of these parties.

Among those who voted for the CPJ, 31 percent actually selected “others,” including the CPJ, for the party they support.

Several opposition parties, including the CPJ, benefited from voters’ dissatisfaction with the LDP.

Interestingly, 28 percent of CPJ voters identified themselves as LDP supporters in the exit poll.

Seventeen percent of DPP voters said they were LDP supporters, and 14 percent each of voters for Nippon Ishin and Sanseito were LDP supporters.

Additionally, 4 percent of CPJ voters were Nippon Ishin supporters, 4 percent were DPP supporters, and 3 percent were Sanseito supporters.

Unaffiliated voters made up 27 percent of those who picked the CPJ, similar to the 25 to 28 percent among those who voted for the DPP, Reiwa Shinsengumi, the SDP and Sanseito.

In comparison, only 10 percent of voters who picked the LDP were unaffiliated, while the ratio for Komeito was 12 percent.

Unaffiliated voters also accounted for 18 percent of CDP voters, 20 percent of JCP voters and 22 percent of Nippon Ishin voters.

The exit poll also asked voters what they thought of the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Forty-eight percent of respondents approved of the Cabinet while 48 percent disapproved.

Among CPJ voters, only 17 percent approved the Cabinet, while the disapproval rate surged to 81 percent.

In comparison, the approval and disapproval rates for other parties were, respectively: 34 percent and 63 percent among CDP voters; 31 percent and 66 percent among JCP voters; 30 percent and 68 percent among DPP voters; 25 percent and 73 percent among Reiwa Shinsengumi voters; 34 percent and 62 percent among SDP voters; and 25 percent and 73 percent among Sanseito voters.

When asked whether fund-raising scandal involving LDP factions influenced their vote, 73 percent of all respondents said it did, well above the 24 percent who said it did not.

Among CDP, JCP and Reiwa Shinsengumi voters, more than 80 percent said they considered the scandal when casting their ballots.

In contrast, ruling coalition voters were less likely to consider the scandal, with 67 percent each of LDP and Komeito voters taking it into account.

The rate was even lower among CPJ voters, with 58 percent considering the scandal, and 41 percent saying it did not affect their vote.

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