TOKYO - Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is entering a leadership contest as factional infighting deepens, with the outcome set to shape responses to inflation and the realities of minority governance. Opposition parties are preparing to invoke Article 53 of the Constitution to demand an extraordinary Diet session, arguing that a prolonged political vacuum is unacceptable.
Opposition parties agreed to demand that an extraordinary Diet session be convened within September, arguing that an extended political vacuum is unacceptable. They warned that if the LDP sets its leadership vote for October 4, they will formally request a session under Article 53, which requires the Cabinet to convene the Diet when at least one-quarter of lawmakers in either chamber so demand.
Within the LDP, moves toward candidacy are accelerating. Former economic security minister Kobayashi signaled interest in running during Monday’s broadcast. Around Takaichi, plans are taking shape to hold a news conference as early as next week to announce policies. Koizumi, viewed by many pollsters as a potential disruptor if he runs, said, ‘Unless the LDP unites, there will be no conditions to face the opposition,’ adding that he will judge his own role after considering how to create unity. Motegi has already indicated he will run and is expected to make a formal declaration at a news conference as early as tomorrow. The chief cabinet secretary has also conveyed an intention to seek a House of Councillors leadership role.
The party decided to conduct a so-called ‘full-spec’ election that includes a vote by party members, rather than a lawmakers-only format. The schedule under discussion would set the official notice for September 22 and balloting for October 4. Opposition parties criticized the choice, saying it would lengthen the political vacuum and delay responses to urgent issues such as inflation.
Program analysts tallied the vacuum as follows: from the Upper House election on July 20 to the prime minister’s resignation announcement on September 7, the Diet saw no full debates on price measures. With a full-spec race, voting would fall on October 4, pushing the extraordinary Diet to mid-October at the earliest—amounting to 77 days of drift. Three figures—Motegi, Hayashi, and Takaichi—are seen as poised to run, while Kobayashi has hinted at deliberations with allies, and Koizumi avoided a clear statement while calling for party unity.
On the ground, the program followed younger lawmakers. Imaeda, a fifth-term House of Representatives member, attended a gathering of about ten lawmakers supporting Takaichi. Although affiliated with the Aso faction, he said factional preferences would not dictate his endorsement and that he would decide based on policies. In Kanagawa, Akama, a local party vice chair who previously served as a recommender for Koizumi, said public expectations for Koizumi’s youth are balanced by concerns over experience, but argued that, as the party now governs as a minority, it must show how to run a stable administration through cooperation with the opposition.
Street interviews reflected frustration with persistent price increases—everyday items such as rice balls now cost more than they used to—and a sense that politics is failing to deliver timely relief. Some voiced doubt that today’s opposition is ready to govern, while still calling for concrete policies instead of power struggles.
Opposition leaders on the program pressed for immediate action even under the outgoing prime minister. Nagatsuma of the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) argued that fuel-tax relief could be legislated now based on a July 30 cross-party understanding, and that the government should not wait for the party leadership vote. Japan Innovation Party (Ishin) representatives stressed that, with the LDP now a minority in the Upper House, the next leader must demonstrate the ability to compile ruling-party views and negotiate with the opposition on social-security reform and other structural issues. They listed priorities such as social-security reform and a broader multi-hub national strategy, while noting that any coalition or cooperation would require policy shifts by the LDP.
Panelists also pointed to turbulence within the opposition: the CDP plans personnel changes on September 11 to reset its leadership following a poor Upper House showing, while three Ishin lawmakers submitted letters of departure, citing dissatisfaction with the party’s direction. An Ishin executive said the party remains a ‘reform-minded conservative’ force and that departures likely reflect differences over issues such as family-name choices and constitutional debates.
The program closed by presenting recent polling in which the LDP remained first, with a surge for a smaller conservative party and solid standings for the Democratic Party for the People. Participants agreed that the LDP must clearly define its ideological stance and restore public trust as a ‘national party,’ while the opposition must demonstrate policy depth and coordination.
Source: TBS
