A struggle over the choice of an electoral candidate in Yamaguchi Prefecture between rival Liberal Democratic Party factions ended last week, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida¡¯s caucus coming out on top after Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi was selected for the new No. 3 district.
Shinji Yoshida won former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe¡¯s old seat in April¡¯s No. 4 district by-election with the backing of Abe faction members and his widow, Akie Abe, but he will now be forced to seek a less prestigious proportional representation seat in the Chugoku regional block in the next election, when Yamaguchi¡¯s seats are reduced from four to three.
The decision marks the close of the latest round in a long-standing feud between the Abe and Hayashi families. Experts say the decision was both expected and indicative of the weakening influence of the Abe family locally, nearly a year after the former leader was assassinated.
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