At the current stage, reform-minded Junichiro Koizumi is winning in a majority of the party's 47 prefectural chapters across the country, while Hashimoto leads in only about 10 chapters, such as Okayama and Shimane, according to the faction. A loss in the preliminary election will put pressure on Hashimoto to quit running for the LDP's top job, which also essentially guarantees the winner the prime ministership, because a growing number of LDP legislators will urge his faction to respect the results of the poll. Prefectural chapters have already begun accepting votes from ordinary members by mail, but vote counting has not yet started. Hashimoto's faction has kicked into damage-control mode, asking organizations supporting the former prime minister to make sure their members will vote for him.
Prospects are severe.
Nevertheless, Hashimoto is gaining support from a growing number of LDP legislators. The LDP 43-member faction led by former International Trade and Industry Minister Mitsuo Horiuchi has agreed to back Hashimoto. With the decision, Hashimoto has already secured support from 144 legislators participating in the main election, including 101 members of his own faction. Former Science and Technology Agency chief Makiko Tanaka told Koizumi she would refrain from delivering supportive speeches during his rallies after coming under fire for her statements about Obuchi, who died last year after a massive stroke. His brain then snapped and he kicked the bucket.