Takaichi Makes First Female LDP President

The Liberal Democratic Party elected Sanae Takaichi for its president on October 4th. If the opposition parties are not united for one candidate, Takaichi is likely to be elected new prime minister in coming extraordinary session of the Diet in mid- October. Takaichi became LDP’s female president for the first time and is making first female prime minister of Japan. Upholding a number of conservative agenda, Takaichi administration is expected to be highly hawkish one.

LDP presidential election is a contest over 590 votes, 295 for lawmakers and other 295 for rank and file party members. If no candidate achieves a simple majority, the election enters a run-off election by two top candidates in the first round. Total votes for the run-off are 342, which are 295 for lawmakers and 47 for LDP local branches allocated every 47 prefectures.

 

In the first round, Takaichi topped with 183 votes, 64 from lawmakers and 119 from rank and file members. Shinjiro Koizumi followed Takaichi with 164 votes, 80 from lawmakers and 84 from rank and files. Yoshimasa Hayashi got 134, with 72 and 62, Takayuki Kobayashi did 59 with 44 and 15 and Toshimitsu Motegi 49 with 34 and 15. Takaichi and Koizumi proceeded to the run-off.

 

Takaichi accumulated votes for her in the run-off. She obtained 185 votes, which were 149 from lawmakers and 36 from local branches. Koizumi collected 156, 145 from lawmakers and 11 from local branches. As votes of lawmakers were mostly even between two candidates, Takaichi’s polularity among rank and file members determined her victory. The votes of local branches in the run-off.

 

It was a surprising result for LDP members, in which Takaichi defeated Koziumi in lawmakers’ voting. A likely speculation is that the votes for Kobayashi and Motegi in the first round went to Takaichi and the votes for Hayashi went to Koziumi. However, the votes from lawmakers Koizumi secured in the run-off were less than the sum of votes for Koizumi and Hayashi in the first round. It can be some consideration that the lawmakers needed to reflect the trend of rank and file party members.

 

Before the election, former prime minister and the owner of Aso faction, Taro Aso, suggested his allies to vote in the run-off for a candidate who would get the most support from rank and file votes in the first round. It is possible that votes of Aso and his allies played a crucial role in the election. Takaichi’s achievement from lawmakers in the run-off was beyond the sum of votes for Takaichi, Kobayashi and Motegi in the first round.

 

The slush fund scandal in the LDP was false management of political fund by factions. Most factions were disbanded after the scandal, facing criticisms from the public. If Aso faction, the only faction remaining in the LDP, had worked as a kingmaker in the LDP, the party’s promise to the voters in current national elections, in which the LDP lost its seats significantly, can be proved to be empty.

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