Heavyweight Centrist Candidates Lose Constituency Races

Tokyo, Feb. 9 (Jiji Press)–Heavyweight candidates from the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance lost their constituency races in Sunday’s election for the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of Japan’s parliament. Party co-secretary-general Jun Azumi failed to win back his seat in the Miyagi No. 4 constituency, while co-election chief Sumio Mabuchi lost in the Nara No. 1 constituency. Ichiro Ozawa, former secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and former leader of the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan, was defeated in the Iwate No. 3 constituency. Former Lower House Vice Speaker Koichiro Genba, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano and former welfare minister Akira Nagatsuma lost in the Fukushima No. 2, Saitama No. 5 and Tokyo No. 27 constituencies, respectively. Former Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, who did not stand for a proportional representation seat, will not return to parliament after losing in the Mie No. 3 constituency. Among major candidates of other parties, Kazuhiro Haraguchi, co-chief of the Tax Cuts Japan & Patriotic Alliance, was defeated in the Saga No. 1 constituency. Former agriculture minister Taku Eto was unable to retake the Miyazaki No. 2 constituency. Those who lost in constituency races may still win Lower House seats if they are also registered as proportional representation candidates. Of LDP candidates involved in a high-profile slush funds scandal, Tamayo Maruyama, Hakubun Shimomura, Koichi Hagiuda and Ryota Takeda won their respective constituencies. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]