also: しきゃくせんじゅつ
noun
strategy of fielding candidates to unseat party rivals; assassin tactic
A political strategy in which a party fields its own candidates in an election with the aim of defeating rival members of the same party, often in a primary or intra-party contest. The term is associated with Japanese political maneuvering, particularly within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
See also: 刺客候補
党の執行部は、反対派の議員を落選させるために刺客戦術をとった。
The party leadership used the assassin tactic to unseat opposing lawmakers.
刺客戦術は、党内の権力闘争でよく見られる手法だ。
The assassin tactic is a common method in intra-party power struggles.
刺客候補 refers to the candidate fielded as an 'assassin' in this strategy, while 刺客戦術 is the strategy itself.
Compound of 刺客 (assassin) and 戦術 (tactics). The term metaphorically applies the idea of an assassin to political strategy, where a candidate is deployed to 'assassinate' a rival's political career.