Many LDP Members Call for Unity in Party Meeting

Tokyo, Nov. 7 (Jiji Press)--The majority of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who attended a party meeting Thursday called for unity at a time when the ruling party and the LDP-led administration are having a tough time.

The LDP lawmakers from both chambers of the Diet, Japan's parliament, gathered at the party's headquarters following its rout in the Oct. 27 election for the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber.

About 200 lawmakers, including Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama and former policy leader Koichi Hagiuda, attended the meeting. Around 50 of them spoke during the session, which lasted three hours, one hour longer than scheduled.

A few participants urged President Shigeru Ishiba, the country's prime minister, to step down at an appropriate time, such as after the passage of a proposed fiscal 2024 supplementary budget.

"I must apologize for not fully meeting the people's expectations," Ishiba said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]