LDP Spurns Komeito's Tokyo Constituency Plan

Tokyo, May 23 (Jiji Press)--The ruling Liberal Democratic Party told its junior coalition partner, Komeito, on Tuesday that it cannot accept Komeito's plan to field a candidate in a new House of Representatives constituency in Tokyo.

The LDP's position was conveyed by its secretary-general, Toshimitsu Motegi, at a meeting with his Komeito counterpart, Keiichi Ishii.

Motegi explained that the LDP has already selected a candidate for the Tokyo No. 28 constituency, which is one of the new constituencies created in five prefectures by the recent redrawing of the Lower House electoral map to correct disparities in the value of votes.

But he promised that the LDP will consider an alternative constituency for Komeito, saying that it will respect Komeito's goal of winning two Lower House seats in Tokyo as much as possible.

Komeito has threatened not to support LDP candidates in Tokyo if the LDP rejects its plan for the constituency.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]