TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru, at a meeting of his Liberal Democratic Party Sunday, apologized for the LDP’s crushing defeat in October’s House of Representatives election and expressed his determination to rebuild the ruling party’s posture in the run-up to next summer’s House of Councillors election.

“Everything, including the problems of politics and money and the party system, should be attributed to me as president” of the LDP, Ishiba said at the meeting of secretaries-general of the party’s regional chapters, held at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, apologizing for the election defeat that mainly stemmed from public distrust in politics over a slush funds scandal involving the LDP.

“I may have forgotten my sincere understanding that the LDP owes what it is to its regional bodies,” Ishiba also said.

Earlier in the day, the LDP held a meeting at the party headquarters for about 100 former lawmakers who failed in the House of Representatives election. Many participants criticized and expressed dissatisfaction with the party executive team’s responses, such as the provision of 20 million yen each to the local branches of party members banned from running as LDP candidates in the election for their involvement in the slush funds scandal. The 20-million-yen issue came to light late in the campaign period and is said to have fueled the public’s anger further.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ishiba apologized to the former lawmakers over the election result, saying: “It was a very severe judgment. It’s my responsibility.”

JIJI Press