In the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election held on the 27th to decide the successor to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Shigeru Ishiba (67), former LDP Secretary-General, and Sanae Takaichi (63), Minister in charge of Economic Security, advanced to the runoff vote.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the vote count conducted at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo in the afternoon showed that none of the nine candidates secured a majority. Consequently, a runoff vote is currently underway between the top two candidates, Minister Takaichi and former Secretary-General Ishiba. The runoff results are expected to be announced around 3:40 p.m.
In the first round, Minister Takaichi, who ranked first, received a total of 181 votes, comprising 72 votes from lawmakers and 109 votes from party members. Former Secretary-General Ishiba, who ranked second, received a total of 154 votes, with 46 from lawmakers and 108 from party members. Shinjiro Koizumi, former Environment Minister, who had been part of a fierce three-way race, garnered a total of 136 votes (75 from lawmakers and 61 from party members).
Before the runoff vote, Minister Takaichi stated, "It is historic for a woman like me to remain in the runoff vote, both for the LDP and for Japan," adding, "I have learned a lot from this election." While emphasizing policies for economic revitalization, she stressed, "We must create a Japan that can protect life and pass it on to the next generation."
Former Secretary-General Ishiba said, "I want to build a Japan where people who are sad and suffering help each other." He emphasized, "The LDP must be a party that follows the rules," and raised his voice, saying, "The public may still not trust the LDP. We must build an LDP that trusts the people, does not run away, and speaks directly."
The runoff vote is being conducted with a total of 415 votes, combining 368 votes from Diet members and 47 votes from local organizations. This means the proportion of lawmaker votes is higher than in the first round. The outcome is expected to hinge on where the votes of candidates who ranked third and fourth in the first round, including former Environment Minister Koizumi, will go.
If Minister Takaichi, a right-wing politician known as the "female Abe," wins, Japan will have its first-ever female prime minister. Born in 1961, she is positively evaluated for having held key positions such as Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, which have been common among past prime ministers. If she becomes prime minister, she plans to continue the economic, diplomatic, and security policy line of former Prime Minister Abe, including Abenomics.
Initially, this leadership election was expected to be a two-horse race between former Secretary-General Ishiba and former Environment Minister Koizumi, but Minister Takaichi, who had been in third place in approval ratings, absorbed support from the right-wing conservative faction toward the end of the election and took first place in the first round. Earlier, the Sankei Shimbun reported that Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, who has built a strong faction within the LDP despite a slush fund scandal, instructed his affiliated lawmakers to support Minister Takaichi in this election.
Former Secretary-General Ishiba is a veteran politician with 12 terms, having served twice as party secretary-general, but is considered to have relatively less support in terms of party factions. Previously, in the 2012 election, he ranked first in the first party member vote but lost to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who united the factions. Ishiba, knowledgeable about defense issues, has shown a "dovish" historical perspective that differs from the right-wing lawmakers within the LDP.
In Japan’s parliamentary system, the prime minister is the leader of the ruling party with the majority. The new party leader is scheduled to hold a press conference at 6 p.m. today. Subsequently, he or she will be officially nominated as Prime Minister Kishida’s successor at the extraordinary Diet session starting on the 1st of next month. A new cabinet is also expected to be announced on the same day.
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