Japan’s ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is facing a significant leadership change as a new chairman, and thereby the country’s next prime minister, is set to be elected in September. The decision to hold this internal election follows Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s unexpected announcement of his resignation amid declining support and a corruption scandal that has fueled distrust in the party.
The internal election is to be completed by the end of September, marking the conclusion of Kishida’s three-year term as leader. The new leadership will involve not only the party’s parliamentarians but also its 1.1 million paying members. The upcoming campaign for the chairmanship will commence on September 12, with a vote scheduled to take place two weeks later, according to a spokesperson from AFP (Agence France-Presse).
Ichiro Aisawa, chairman of the LDP’s election committee, has emphasized the party’s serious approach towards the public distrust arising from the scandal. He has decided to extend the campaign period from the usual 12 days to 15 days to allow voters more time to familiarize themselves with the candidates’ policies.
The scandal involves unreported political funds collected through ticket sales for party events and implicates more than 80 LDP legislators, particularly members of a significant faction formerly led by the assassinated ex-prime minister Shinzo Abe. Aisawa has urged candidates to run a campaign that addresses public concerns regarding money and politics as tightly as possible.
The first candidate to announce their intention to run is Takayuki Kobayashi, the former Minister of Economic Security, who is 49 years old. Other potential candidates include former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 43; and three female party veterans: Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, and former Minister for Gender Equality Seiko Noda, as well as former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Each candidate must secure support from 20 party politicians to be eligible for nomination.
On the international stage, however, Kishida, 67, has received praise for his support of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion and for promoting a stronger defense policy in resistance to China, with backing from the United States.