An electoral defeat puts Japan’s prime minister on the back foot

WHEN the summer heat descends on Tokyo like a warm wet blanket, politicians grab their clubs and head to the fairways. That could spell trouble for Shinzo Abe, the prime minister: in Japan, political plots start on golf courses, says Takashi Inoguchi of the University of Tokyo. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which Mr Abe heads, is casting around for a scapegoat following a drubbing by voters in the capital. The LDP recorded its worst result ever in the election for Tokyo’s regional assembly, winning just 23 of 127 seats, down from 57 last time (see chart). The assembly is now dominated by Tomin First No Kai (Tokyoites First), a fledgling party barely six months old.