TOKYO: The majority of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who attended a party meeting Thursday called for unity at a time when the ruling party and the LDP-led administration are having a tough time.

The LDP lawmakers from both chambers of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, gathered at the party’s headquarters following its rout in the Oct. 27 election for the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber.

About 200 lawmakers, including Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama and former policy leader Koichi Hagiuda, attended the meeting. Around 50 of them spoke during the session, which lasted three hours, one hour longer than scheduled.

A few participants urged President Shigeru Ishiba, the country’s prime minister, to step down at an appropriate time, such as after the passage of a proposed fiscal 2024 supplementary budget.

“I must apologize for not fully meeting the people’s expectations,” Ishiba said.

After touching on the tough international situation, economic measures and political reforms, he showed his willingness to remain in office, saying, “I hope to listen to (the people’s) voices and run (the government) more humbly and carefully.”

Moriyama also apologized, saying, “I feel strongly responsible.”

In the general election, the LDP and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, lost their Lower House majority.

Shigeharu Aoyama, a lawmaker of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, told Thursday’s meeting that Ishiba should announce his resignation “at an appropriate time,” with the supplementary budget in mind. The government aims to enact the budget by year-end.

Upper House lawmaker Shoji Nishida said that the LDP cannot fight next summer’s Upper House election unless the party revamps its internal structure.

According to Aoyama, seven or eight participants either directly or indirectly asked Ishiba to step down.

On the other hand, Lower House lawmaker Hajime Funada said, “While there is a question of responsibility, for now we need to unite and overcome the difficulties.”

Participants said that while some called for Ishiba to resign, the majority stressed the need for him to rebuild the party responsibly.

Many LDP lawmakers took issue with the party’s payment of 20 million yen each to the local branches of party members banned from running as LDP candidates in the general election for their involvement in a political funds scandal at their factions. The public’s anger at the practice is considered to be a major reason for the LDP’s election rout.

Former education minister Masahiko Shibayama said that the LDP leadership team needs to understand “how far removed (the practice) is from public opinion.”

Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi asked whether party decisions, including the one not to allow scandal-hit LDP members to run for both constituency and proportional representation seats in the Lower House election, were based on party rules.

Kobayashi said he did not receive a satisfactory response from the party’s leadership team.

Ishiba was asked why he did not hold parliamentary Budget Committee meetings before dissolving the Lower House, despite his proposal for such meetings made during September’s LDP presidential race.

He said he had to dissolve the Lower House as deliberations on the fiscal 2024 supplementary budget and the fiscal 2025 regular budget were expected to follow.

Many LDP members asked that the party interview those who lost their Lower House seats in last month’s election and analyze why the party struggled in the poll.

At the end of the meeting, Ishiba called for cooperation from his fellow members, saying, “We take your opinions seriously and will work on party reforms in a forward-looking way.”

JIJI Press