Desperate LDP leans on Komei Party

At the last stage of the campaign for the July 11 House of Councilors election, the Liberal Democratic Party requested its ruling coalition partner Komei Party to shore up struggling LDP candidates. Major newspapers on July 7 reported a deal made by the two parties.

On July 5, LDP Secretary General Abe Shinzo called Komei Secretary General Fuyushiba Tetsuzo late at night and asked for Komei's support for LDP candidates in 10 constituencies, apparently counting on the votes of members of Soka Gakkai, Komei's parent religious organization.

Komei reportedly accepted Abe's request in return for LDP supporters' votes to be diverted to its proportional-representation candidates.

The next day, Komei President Kanzaki Takenori in a speech in Gunma Prefecture called for the support of an LDP candidate.

An Akahata column on July 8 said that the LDP and Komei made a similar deal in the House of Representatives general election last November, referring to an analysis of the election results by Tokyo University Professor Kabashima Ikuo.

Kabashima concluded that 77 out of 133 LDP members elected in the last national election could not have achieved a Diet seat without the support of Soka Gakkai. "Soka Gakkai now works as the LDP's life support machine," said Kabashima.

Akahata criticized Soka Gakkai for taking advantage of its members' religious devotion and using them as tools to strike a political deal, an act infringing on democracy and religious faith. (end)