Key Facts
• On September 14, Jun Azumi appeared on NHK’s ‘Sunday Debate’ program.
• The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will hold its leadership election on September 22, with voting on October 4.
• Azumi warned against early dissolution of the House of Representatives after the LDP elects a new leader.
• He stated that the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) has 150 current members in the House and candidates in 200 districts.
• Azumi emphasized the CDP’s readiness to compete one-on-one with the LDP in 289 single-seat districts.
• He criticized the LDP’s potential strategy of leveraging media attention and popularity from the leadership election for political gain.
• Azumi compared this approach to the previous case involving Shigeru Ishiba.
• He urged the media to maintain a neutral perspective on the LDP leadership election.
Summary
Jun Azumi, Secretary-General of the Constitutional Democratic Party, expressed concerns over the possibility of the Liberal Democratic Party dissolving the House of Representatives shortly after electing a new leader. Speaking on NHK’s ‘Sunday Debate,’ Azumi highlighted the CDP’s preparedness for elections, with 150 current members and candidates in 200 districts. He criticized the LDP’s potential strategy of using media-driven popularity from the leadership election to gain seats, likening it to past tactics involving Shigeru Ishiba. Azumi also called for media neutrality in covering the LDP’s leadership race.
