The Unexpected Advice from Prominent Defeated Politician That Lonely PM Shigeru Ishiba Relies On

A Heartless “Apology”

After suffering a major defeat in the October general election and falling to a minority government, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s cabinet continues to face tough governance. On December 8, marking the 69th day of his tenure, which ties with the shortest term in post-war history held by former Prime Minister Sozo Uno, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters hosted a meeting with former lawmakers who lost in the recent general election. This “meeting with former branch heads” provided an opportunity for the LDP leadership to exchange opinions with the defeated members.

“I received a very harsh judgment. As the party leader, I take full responsibility. I will humbly listen to your voices and do everything I can,” Ishiba (67) apologized to the defeated members.

Around 100 former lawmakers attended the meeting, including former Minister of Education Hirofumi Shimomura (70), former Chairman of the National Diet Members’ Council Takagi Takeshi (68), and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Seijiro Eto (83). However, former Secretary-General Akira Amari (75) and former Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Ryota Takeda (56) were absent. Former Minister for the Tokyo Olympics, Tamayo Marukawa (53), attended the meeting but did not appear in front of the press.

“There is a saying that if you lose in an election, you’re just an ordinary person. To be a candidate in the next general election, one must become the head of the local branch in the district, and the current leadership has the authority to appoint the branch head. During the meeting, more than 30 people asked questions, and there was an exchange of opinions for over two and a half hours. However, it seemed that the position of branch head was at the forefront of their minds, and even though they voiced dissatisfaction with the leadership, no one went as far as demanding resignations,” said a former member of the House of Representatives who attended the meeting.

Even so, there were calls for the leadership to be held accountable regarding the incident involving 20 million yen being transferred to a party branch of a candidate who became unaffiliated after being involved in a slush fund scandal.

“However, Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama (79) only apologized, saying ‘the timing was wrong,’ and no one took responsibility, nor was the decision-making process clarified. The issue of the 20 million yen emerged just four days before the election, and even candidates who could have won were affected by this. With this, there’s no way to have a constructive discussion about ‘politics and money,'” the same source added.

“Failed Congressman” Provides Emotional Support

At the end of the meeting, Ishiba briefly stated, “I will strive to run the party better while listening to everyone’s opinions.”

After the meeting, Shimomura spoke to the press, expressing his frustration: 

“The 20 million yen issue changed the mood of the election campaign in an instant. It became a tool for the opposition to attack, and even when we gave speeches on the streets, no one would listen. It was a huge blow. That ultimately led to my defeat.”

Eto, a veteran politician, stated,

“The party leadership, which decided not to allow or not endorse overlapping candidacies, should also take responsibility.” His call was likely not driven by personal grievances.

Eto had a 1.07 million yen discrepancy in his political funds report and received a suspension from his party position in April. His bid for a parallel candidacy in the proportional representation system was rejected, and he lost in the Oita 2nd district.

On the other hand, Eto was one of the earliest to support Ishiba in the party leadership race. Before the election, Eto advised Ishiba, saying, “Whether you like it or not, you must drink with your fellow lawmakers and bow your head.” By advising Ishiba on his poor social interactions, Eto played a part in Ishiba’s rise to leadership. After the dissolution, Ishiba spoke passionately to Eto, saying, “I won’t let you lose, I’ll go to Oita 2nd district.” However, Ishiba never visited Eto’s constituency.

Eto showed the reporter his phone’s call history, which contained numerous missed calls from Ishiba. There was a period when they were calling each other almost daily.

“He must have been in trouble, not having anyone to turn to. I told him, ‘Your expression is dark, so smile more.’ When times are tough, remember what I said and smile. I hope your smile increases in the Diet as well.”

Eto said this, then waved his hand to stop further questioning from the reporter before leaving the party headquarters.