Japan's former Internal Affairs Minister Takaichi enters race for LDP leadership

Tokyo [Japan], September 18 (ANI): Japan's former Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi has officially announced her bid for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Thursday, completing the list of major candidates seeking to replace outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Kyodo News reported.

Takaichi also held the position of Japan's Minister of State for Economic Security.

According to Kyodo News, Takaichi, a staunch conservative and close ideological ally of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, shared her intentions during a meeting with former Prime Minister and party heavyweight Taro Aso. At 64, she is aiming to become Japan's first female prime minister.

Seen as one of the leading contenders in the October 4 leadership race, Takaichi will be competing with Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, as well as Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi.

"What is needed now is politics that can turn our anxieties about life and the future into hope," Takaichi told reporters, as quoted by Kyodo News. She plans to unveil her policy platform at a press conference on Friday.

The leadership vote was originally scheduled for 2027, at the end of Ishiba's term. However, it was moved up after Ishiba announced his resignation earlier this month, taking responsibility for the ruling coalition's defeat in the July 20 House of Councillors election.

Earlier this month, according to a poll released by Kyodo News, Takaichi has emerged as the leading contender to become the next president of the LDP.

In a two-day nationwide telephone survey released last week by Kyodo News, 28 per cent of respondents said Takaichi was the most suitable candidate to lead the LDP, followed by Koizumi at 22.5 per cent, positioning them as the frontrunners to succeed Ishiba.

Meanwhile, among LDP supporters, Koizumi is the favoured candidate, with 36.0 per cent selecting him as most suitable to lead the party, ahead of Takaichi at 15.7 per cent and Hayashi at 14.9 per cent.

The official list of candidates will be finalised on September 22, marking the start of the campaign period.

The leadership contest was moved up from its original schedule in 2027 after Ishiba's resignation, which he said was in response to the party's failure to maintain control of the House of Councillors in the July 20 elections, as reported by Kyodo News.

The LDP and its coalition partner Komeito had already lost their majority in the more powerful House of Representatives following a general election shortly after Ishiba took office in October 2024.

Currently leading a minority government, the LDP needs support from opposition parties to pass legislation. The winner of the leadership race will not be guaranteed the position of Prime Minister, which requires a majority vote in Parliament.

If Takaichi manages to get a majority, she will become the first female Prime Minister of the country. (ANI)

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