LDP to curb Diet seat succession

Looking to steal the thunder from a key opposition pledge, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to curb "family transfers" of Diet seats starting with the next Lower House election, officials said.

Under a reform plan, likely to be finalized soon, the LDP will not endorse relatives looking to take over the constituencies of retiring Diet members.

That would bar the second son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi from gaining LDP endorsement in the next Lower House election, which must be held by September.

When Koizumi last September announced that he will retire when his current term ends, he named his son Shinjiro, 28, as his "successor" to run in Kanagawa Prefecture's No. 11 constituency.

Such "hereditary" successions, particularly within the LDP, have been criticized for limiting the chances of other aspiring candidates and sapping political vitality.

Hereditary candidates typically gain huge advantages in terms of support bases, funds and name recognition.

Shinjiro Koizumi, an aide to his father and chief of the LDP branch for the constituency, is still expected to run as an independent--with the LDP prefectural chapter's support, sources said.

When the LDP said earlier that it was considering such restrictions, the plan met staunch opposition, especially from lawmakers who have gained Diet seats vacated by relatives who retired or died.

Yoshihide Suga, deputy chairman of the party's Election Strategy Council, had advocated introducing the move after the next Lower House election.

But when Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), the largest opposition party, decided to make such restrictions a key plank in its manifesto for the Lower House election, the LDP was put on the defensive.

"We would not be able to put up a good fight in the election unless the LDP makes the same pledge," a senior party official said.

The LDP's Headquarters for Party Reform Implementation on Thursday discussed a draft plan to move up the schedule, leaving the final decision up to senior officials.

According to the plan, the LDP will not officially endorse relatives who run in the same constituencies as retiring lawmakers.

Details such as which relatives will be affected by the rule have not been spelled out.

The rule will apply only to newcomers. It will not affect incumbent lawmakers who succeeded their relatives, such as former prime ministers Shinzo Abe and Yasuo Fukuda.

Besides Shinjiro Koizumi, the only other candidate likely to be affected by the restrictions in the next race will be Shoichi Usui, 34, a Chiba prefectural assembly member who is the son of former Justice Minister Hideo Usui. He is expected to run in the Chiba No. 1 constituency.

Because the LDP does not plan legislation to ban the candidacies of such relatives, they may still run as independents.

Tsutomu Takebe, a former LDP secretary-general who leads the reform headquarters, appears to have gained a sense of understanding from Junichiro Koizumi, according to sources.

If Shinjiro won as an independent, there is a possibility he would be endorsed after the election, they said.

Minshuto President Yukio Hatoyama has pledged a ban on candidacies in the same constituencies by relatives of lawmakers--for example, children, grandchildren, siblings and their children.(IHT/Asahi: May 22,2009)