AFFAIR SCANDAL
“In order to stay in power, Ishiba needs to pass the government budget this winter. It will mean the LDP will have to concede some of its policies to seek cooperation from others,” Tomoaki Iwai, professor emeritus at Nihon University, told AFP.
To have enough sway to pass legislation going forward, the ruling bloc has asked for help from the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), a small centrist group.
The DPP has agreed to cooperate on a vote-by-vote basis while staying out of the coalition. In talks with the LDP, it has demanded tax cuts and energy subsidies that economists say would slash the government’s revenues.
In a twist, DPP head Yuichiro Tamaki on Monday admitted to an extra-marital affair reported by a tabloid.
“I apologise for causing such a disturbance,” he told reporters. His party later reportedly decided to keep him on as leader.
Along with these negotiations, Ishiba must also contend with discontent within his party, which lost dozens of seats – including ministers – in the election.
“Unless he improves his public support, those inside the LDP may start saying they cannot fight the upper house election under Ishiba” and look for another leader, Iwai added.
The public votes in the upper house election in July, and Noda vowed last week that the CDP would “work hard so we will make significant gains in the upper house election”.
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