July 27, 2009Nearly 70 percent of the 171 second-generation political family candidates in the upcoming House of Representatives election will run on a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ticket, a Mainichi Shimbun survey has found.
Thirty-four of them will be fielded by the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), despite its decision to set limits on candidacies by legislators' relatives.
The Mainichi Shimbun had defined second-generation candidates as those whose parents and grandparents, including in-laws, were elected to the Lower House. Under this definition, there were 166 second-generation candidates in the 2005 Lower House race, and the number in the upcoming general election would be 161.
However, the DPJ has decided not to endorse candidates whose relatives of the third degree or closer -- where a parent is of the first degree; grandparent, grandchild, brother and sister are of the second degree and nephew, niece and uncle and aunt are of the third degree -- have served as legislators in the same constituency.
In line with this policy, the Mainichi broadened its definition of second-generation candidates to include those whose relatives of the third degree or closer have served as legislators and who will run in the same constituencies as the relatives. As a result, the number of second-generation candidates in the upcoming election rose to 171.
Of the 478 who were members of the 480-seat Lower House until it was dissolved on July 21, 142 were second-generation legislators. There were two vacancies.
By political party, the LDP had 113, or 37 percent of its 303 members of the chamber. The DPJ had 20 second-generation members while ruling coalition partner Komeito had two.
In the upcoming race, the number of LDP second-generation candidates came to 114, above the number of its second-generation members of the dissolved chamber, as former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's second son and three other new second-generation candidates will run in the election.
The DPJ has placed limitations on second-generation candidates in the upcoming election. However, 27 who have already been elected to the chamber are not subject to the restrictions.
The party will field seven new second-generation candidates, but they are not subject to the restrictions, either, because their fathers or grandfathers who served as legislators have already retired, or ran in different constituencies.
(Mainichi Japan) July 27, 2009
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