Toshihiro Nikai’s youngest son, Nobuyasu Nikai, is expected to run in the next Lower House election in Wakayama Prefecture. The request came from town and village leaders in the prefecture who want him to succeed his father. Nobuyasu Nikai, 46, has been serving as secretary to his 85-year-old father. He has been asked to stand for election by the leaders of 21 Wakayama towns after his father announced last month that he would not seek reelection.
“As the village and town leaders were unanimous in their request that I run, I have to truly take such a request seriously,” the younger Nikai said Wednesday.
Nobuyasu Nikai is a former member of the Wakayama Prefectural Assembly and is currently serving as a special adviser to the city of Wakayama. He is also a member of the Liberal Democratic Party’s youth division.
The next Lower House election is expected to be held in October 2025. Toshihiro Nikai has been a member of the Lower House since 1994 and has served as the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Minister of State for Financial Services.
If Nobuyasu Nikai is elected, he would be the first member of his family to serve in the Lower House. His father, Toshihiro Nikai, is a powerful figure in the Liberal Democratic Party and has served as the party’s secretary-general and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. His brother, Hirofumi Nikai, is a member of the House of Councillors.
