Former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi, former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi and Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (from L to R) pose for a group photo during a leadership election campaign of the LDP in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 22, 2025. (Franck Robichon/Pool via Xinhua)
TOKYO, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) — Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) officially launched its leadership race on Monday, with five candidates declaring their bids to succeed outgoing party chief and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
The contenders are former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, and former economic security ministers Sanae Takaichi and Takayuki Kobayashi.
All five also ran in last year’s election, which saw a record nine candidates.
The contest will focus on issues such as cooperation with opposition parties, economic measures to tackle rising prices, and rebuilding the party after successive election defeats and political funding scandals.
The election, triggered by Ishiba’s resignation earlier this month, will be held on Oct. 4, with the first round consisting of 590 votes, 295 from LDP lawmakers and 295 allocated proportionally to rank-and-file party members and registered supporters.
A candidate securing an outright majority in the first round will be elected; otherwise, the top two finishers will proceed to a runoff.
Once a new LDP president is chosen, parliament will hold a prime ministerial designation vote.
Even though the ruling bloc has failed to secure a majority in both chambers of the parliament, the new leader is almost certain to become the country’s next prime minister since the LDP remains the largest party.
This year’s election comes amid new challenges for the LDP. The number of eligible voting members has dropped to about 915,600, down more than 140,000 from the previous contest.
Analysts attribute the decline partly to a party rule requiring two years of paid membership to vote, and partly to fallout from a political funding scandal that has weakened grassroots support.
Complicating matters further, whoever becomes the new party leader must navigate the difficulties of minority governance, mend factional divides, and regain public trust.
Recent opinion polls show Shinjiro Koizumi and Sanae Takaichi leading in public popularity, but insiders stress that internal party dynamics and factional support will be decisive. The alignment of votes previously loyal to Ishiba may also prove critical in determining the outcome.
But whoever takes the helm, challenges abound. Years of sluggish growth, rising prices and a sharp depreciation of the yen have weighed heavily on the public, and the LDP’s twin defeats have left its leadership under closer scrutiny.
As the ruling bloc loses its historical dominance, the task ahead is unenviable: holding together a divided party, managing minority rule, and convincing a sceptical electorate that the LDP is still capable of providing stable government.■
AloJapan.com