Opponents of Japan PM seek leadership contest
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Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has lost his majority in both Houses of Parliament, most recently in Upper Chamber elections in July.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO – Opponents of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Japan’s ruling party sought on Sept 3 to rally support for a new leadership election, with several party heavyweights reportedly turning on the embattled Premier.
Mr Ishiba, 68, took the helm of the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2024 and has since lost his majority in both Houses of Parliament, most recently in Upper Chamber elections in July.
On Sept 2, four senior LDP figures including secretary-general Hiroshi Moriyama offered to resign,
“I will make appropriate decisions at an appropriate time. But first and foremost, I believe this means dedicating all my efforts to fulfilling what the people truly want me to accomplish,” Mr Ishiba said.
“I won’t run away from taking responsibility,” he said, adding that he had “no intention at all to cling onto my position” if it became untenable.
The LDP is currently surveying its 295 lawmakers and 47 regional officials across Japan on whether to hold a new leadership contest, in a process due to conclude on Sept 8.
Those backing the idea include influential former prime minister Taro Aso, according to national broadcaster NHK and the top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.
Mr Ishiba’s most prominent rival Sanae Takaichi, seen as a hardline nationalist, all but said on Sept 2 that she would seek a contest.
“In any organisation, when things don’t go well, I have my own thoughts about how leaders should take responsibility,” she told reporters.
Poll boost
Recent opinion polls suggest rebounding support for Mr Ishiba’s Cabinet, with voters less than keen on the hawkish Takaichi, runner-up in the last leadership election in 2024.
A Nikkei survey on Aug 31 put Ms Takaichi as the most “fitting” successor to Mr Ishiba but 52 per cent of respondents said a leadership contest was unnecessary.
Many LDP lawmakers are still unsure and are asking themselves whether supporting Mr Ishiba might translate into receiving senior government or party assignments, said Professor Ken Takayasu of Waseda University.
“LDP politicians might sound ideological and some are, but they are more affected by the prospect of a ministerial position or a senior LDP position,” he told AFP.
“Japanese politics often moves with mood, atmosphere, which is very much irrational,” he said.
The focus for now is on whether Mr Ishiba can persuade Mr Moriyama, a powerful party veteran who has worked with opposition parties to push through legislation, to stay.
Mr Moriyama’s departure would be a serious blow to Mr Ishiba, but in leaving the decision to the Prime Minister, “he could stay if asked”, said Mr Koya Miyamae, senior economist at SMBC Nikko Securities.
“If Moriyama can stay in the leadership circle, that is a win for (Ishiba), but if Moriyama leaves totally, at this moment that sounds a real crisis,” said Prof Takayasu.
Mr Miyamae added that a faction led by former prime minister Fumio Kishida seems to hold the “casting vote” on whether to hold the leadership election. AFP
