Japanese scholar foresees Lai’s presidential victory

TOKYO (TVBS News) — Japanese scholar Yoshiyuki Ogasawara believes that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te is on track for victory in Taiwan's presidential race.

In an interview with the Sankei News on Monday (Oct. 30), Ogasawara argued that the DPP will unlikely gain most legislative seats despite Lai leading the public opinion polls in the 2024 Presidential Election.

Ogasawara noted that in the past month, opposition parties attracted public attention by coordinating candidate discussions, which heightened debate about political rotation and diminished public exposure for Lai.

Moreover, Ogasawara remarked that recent scandals involving extramarital affairs among DPP incumbent lawmakers have placed the party on the defensive.

The longtime Taiwan politics observer is the first Japanese election observer to predict that the ruling DPP might not secure more than half of the legislative seats.