Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) entrusted the task of leading the party to its former secretary-general Shigeru Ishiba by electing him as its president on 27 September. This was the veteran politician’s fifth attempt. Ishiba’s immediate priority was to regain public trust which was lost due to a slush fund scandal. This was the reason behind Fumio Kishida’s decision to withdraw from the race as his public approval rating had substantially plummeted.

Ishiba’s first task to tackle the challenge right away was to call for snap elections on 27 October. The election outcome shall test Ishiba’s ability to build a strong political base. The snap poll shall be the first nationwide vote since the slush funds scandal was uncovered within the LDP and it will be an early test of Ishiba’s leadership, who is already grappling with a fragile party support base and public scepticism. After announcing the date for the snap poll, Ishiba launched the party’s campaign in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, one of the areas hit hardest by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011, and its aftermath.

Offering apologies for the slush funds scandal, Ishiba remar ked that “without the reconstruction of Fukushima, there can be no recovery for the Tohoku region; without the recovery of Tohoku, there can be no revival of Japan.” The big question that arises is will the LDP-Komeito coalition come victorious in the snap polls or will the opposition parties secure a majority and form the government? This election offers the voters an opportunity for the first time in three years to make a choice. The other big question is, how are the people going to evaluate the policy lines........

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