Nine Candidates Including Kamikawa for Foreign Minister Election
Official Campaign Starts from the 12th
With the upcoming Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election on the 27th, which will determine the next Prime Minister of Japan, a record nine candidates have thrown their hats into the ring. The official election campaign is set to begin tomorrow.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 11th, Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko declared her candidacy for the LDP presidency at a press conference that afternoon, stating, "I want to create a new Japan with the people without avoiding difficult issues." At 71 years old this year, this is Kamikawa's first challenge for the LDP presidency. As a seven-term member of the House of Representatives and a member of the Kishida faction, she gained recognition after serving as Minister of Justice and being appointed Foreign Minister in September last year.
As of the previous day, eight candidates had expressed their intention to run, including former Environment Minister Koizumi Shinjiro, former LDP Secretary-General Ishiba Shigeru, and Minister in charge of Economic Security Takaiichi Sanae. Yomiuri highlighted that this number surpasses the previous record of five candidates set since 1972, when the requirement for endorsers was introduced.
On the other hand, former Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Noda Seiko and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Saito Gen, who struggled to secure the 20 endorsers required, attempted to unify their candidacies but failed. It is reported that former Minister Noda has decided to support former Environment Minister Koizumi and is expected to take on the role of campaign headquarters chief. Minister Saito is also reportedly finding it difficult to run.
The first round of the LDP presidential election on the 27th will combine 367 votes from Diet members and 367 votes from party members (Japanese nationals who pay party dues) and party supporters (members of LDP-affiliated political organizations). Due to the crowded field of candidates, it is highly likely that the final president will be decided in a runoff between the top two candidates from the first round.
Currently, most opinion polls show a two-strong candidate race, with former Environment Minister Koizumi and former Secretary-General Ishiba, both classified as "moderate conservatives," each garnering over 20% support. A recent NHK poll conducted last week with 1,220 respondents revealed that among LDP supporters, 29% back former Secretary-General Ishiba and 27% support former Environment Minister Koizumi. Minister in charge of Economic Security Takaiichi (13%) and Digital Minister Kono (6%) followed. If former Environment Minister Koizumi (43) wins, he will break the record set by Ito Hirobumi by becoming the youngest prime minister in history at age 44.
As these two moderate candidates surge ahead before the election, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported that the hardline conservative faction, which supported former Prime Minister Abe, is pushing for an alliance among far-right candidates. In particular, the unification of Minister in charge of Economic Security Takaiichi, who strongly opposes the separate surname system for married couples, and former Minister in charge of Economic Security Kobayashi is attracting attention.
Nikkei stated, "Voices from the hardline conservative camp are saying that Koizumi and Ishiba should not both advance to the runoff," and predicted, "It is likely that the candidate with little chance of winning will support the other."
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