Koizumi and Takaichi Emerge as Top Contenders for Next Prime Minister

Sep 08, 2025 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Agriculture Minister Koizumi and former Economic Security Minister Takaichi tied as the top choices to succeed Prime Minister Ishiba in a JNN poll, with Ishiba himself ranking third. Support for the Ishiba Cabinet rose to 37.7% in September, while 41% of respondents said he should resign after the Upper House election defeat and 49% said he should not.

Support for the Ishiba Cabinet stood at 37.7% in September, up 0.9 points from the previous month, while disapproval fell 1.1 points to 59.4%. On September 6th, Ishiba announced his intention to step down, saying, "Responsibility for the election result rests with me as party president." Asked whether Ishiba should resign following the Upper House defeat, 41% said he should while 49% said resignation was unnecessary. Among Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) supporters, 73% said he should remain in office.

On the coalition’s campaign pledge of a uniform 20,000-yen cash handout, 33% said it should be implemented as promised, 28% said it should be targeted to specific groups, and 37% said it should not be carried out.

When asked who should succeed Ishiba, both Koizumi and Takaichi ranked first, followed by Ishiba himself in third.

Party support rates were as follows: LDP 23.3% (up 2.9 points), Constitutional Democratic Party 6.5% (down 0.4), Japan Innovation Party 4.7% (up 2.0), Democratic Party for the People 6.8% (down 1.9), Komeito 3.2% (down 0.8), Sanseito 8.5% (down 1.7), Reiwa Shinsengumi 2.7% (down 0.4), Japanese Communist Party 2.4% (up 0.3), Conservative Party 2.4% (up 0.6), Social Democratic Party 0.5% (up 0.2), Mirai 0.5% (down 1.1), others 0.9% (down 0.1), and no support 32.7% (down 0.5).

The survey was conducted nationwide on September 6th and 7th using RDD (random digit dialing) on both landlines and mobile phones. Out of 2,749 people contacted, 1,030 responded, a valid response rate of 37.5%. JNN noted that it avoids internet surveys, which tend to attract participants with strong personal interests, and instead relies on direct phone interviews with randomly selected respondents to ensure results closer to a representative sample of voters.

Source: TBS

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