Takaichi Reappoints Most LDP Board Members

The President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Prime Minister, Sanae Takiachi, reappointed most board members of her party on September 16th. As she keeps relatively high approval rate so far, Takaichi focused on maintaining her power in the party, refraining from rather making a big change of her team. Another point was early removal of possible troubles for her reelection as the president net year.

The LDP has ten board members, each of whose term is a year. Takaichi reappointed eight of those ten again. Having weak basis on her own party, she relies her grip of the party on Vice-President Taro Aso, a heavyweight who presides the only faction in the party that survived slush fund scandal in 2023. Takaichi not only reappointed Aso as the Vice-President but decided to keep Secretary General Shun-ichi Suzuki, who is Aso’s brother-in-law, at the same position. Reappointment of Chairman of Policy Research Council, Takayuki Kobayashi, is also Aso’s choice.

 

Takaichi changed only two: the Chairperson of General Council and the Chair of Diet Affairs Committee. Hiroshi Kajiyama moved from the top of Diet Affairs Committee to General Council. Kajiyama is a long-time specialist in negotiation over Diet procedure with the opposition parties. To pass the bills from Takaichi government, it is necessary to accept the request of the oppositions for discussion with the prime minister.

 

However, Takaichi did not like to have discussion with the opposition parties in the Diet. She did not know why she had to make it during the session earlier this year, even though the constitution demands the prime minister to be responsible for the Diet. That is why Takaichi appointed a young lawmaker, Hideki Murai, to the Chairman of Diet Affairs Committee. Murai is known as confident that the prime minister does not need to attend the Diet so much.

 

Unignorable decision of Takaichi is replacing Secretary General of Upper House LDP, Jun-ichi Ishii, to Kazuhiko Aoki. The leaders of Upper House LDP have status to attend board meetings and the party has an unwritten rule that the president does not have power to select Upper House leaders. But the chairman of Upper House LDP, Masaji Matsuyama, decided to replace Ishii.

 

Ishii is a veteran specialist on Diet affairs with rich experience of negotiation with the opposition parties. However, Takaichi was frustrated with Ishii’s handling of procedure in the previous session of the Upper House, in which the LDP did not have a majority. Moreover, Ishii launched a policy study group in Upper House LDP in April. Takaichi embraced a concern that the group may become a core of rallying anti-Takaichi lawmakers.

 

Takaichi keeps over fifty percent of approval rate. As the prime minister, she has power to dissolve the Lower House and have snap election anytime she likes. No visible protest against Takaichi can be seen in the LDP so far.

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