I will succeed Shinzo Abe! That politician is eager to run for the Yamaguchi 4th district by-election
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Following the Supreme Court ruling on the 25th, the supplementary election for the currently vacant electoral district was decided. The three supplementary elections for the Yamaguchi 4th, Chiba 5th, and Wakayama 1st wards of the House of Representatives following the death of former Prime Minister Abe are scheduled to be held on April 11, with the election to be held on April 23.
The Yamaguchi 4 district will be represented by Mizuta Sugita, a member of the House of Representatives, who has put her name forward in the election.
Sugita suddenly requested a meeting with a prominent Yamaguchi prefectural assemblyman affiliated with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. I heard that Sugita himself came to the prefectural assembly member to make a pitch for the upcoming by-election, saying, ‘I am the only person who can succeed former Prime Minister Abe in his constituency. The prefectural assembly member was surprised and flustered by the suddenness of the offer and turned it down, saying it was impossible.
Sugita was elected to the Chugoku Bloc in the proportional elections. Sugita was elected to the Chugoku bloc in the proportional elections and has attracted more attention for his outspoken comments and Twitter battles than for his political activities. His repeated discriminatory remarks, such as “women lie with impunity” and “LGBT people are not productive,” became an issue, and last December he was effectively removed from his post as Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications after “apologizing for some of the comments he made. Only one month later. He was seeking to run for the Yamaguchi 4 district by-election, appealing to “Abe’s successor” by making a direct appeal.
Perhaps he believes that he is the most suitable politician to succeed Abe as prime minister, having been discovered by the former prime minister. If he thinks he can get elected by simply holding up the former prime minister’s seal over his head and calling himself “Abe’s children,” he must be making a fool of the people of Yamaguchi. But Sugita apparently means what he says.
Sugita has also made a direct appeal to Kōichi Hagiuda, who is considered to be the front-runner to succeed Abe as prime minister. As expected, he was not accepted, and was probably rebuked softly. Sugita has no political achievements, and it is obvious that if she were to appear on the stage, the Diet would be in an uproar over her comments,” said a Seiwa Council member.
What is the source of her confidence? Needless to say, the Liberal Democratic Party is responsible for placing this politician at the top of the proportional list, and for allowing her to win election after election.
Interview and text by: Shutaro Iwashiro Photo by: Takeshi Kinugawa