TOKYO: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is steadily moving forward with her strategies for the appointment of party executives, as she aims to be reelected in the Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential race in autumn next year.
Takaichi is making arrangements to retain Takayuki Kobayashi as the party’s Policy Research Council chair amid a planned reshuffle of the Cabinet and the party leadership scheduled for later this month.
Now that three of her four rivals in last year’s leadership election are virtually certain to remain in their current posts, the focus shifts to the fate of Internal Affairs and Communications Yoshimasa Hayashi.
The prime minister and Kobayashi held talks for about an hour at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday (Sept 7). Afterward Kobayashi told reporters, “I reported on the current state of the party, and we discussed how to strengthen the party’s structure going forward.”
In last year’s LDP leadership race, Takaichi ran against Kobayashi, Hayashi, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. She won by defeating Koizumi in a runoff vote.
When she formed her Cabinet following the election, Takaichi appointed all four of her election rivals to ministerial posts or to one of the LDP’s top three executive posts, in a bid to prioritize party unity.
Kobayashi devoted himself to supporting Takaichi, working tirelessly during the latest Diet session to consolidate opinions in both the ruling and opposition parties toward amending the Imperial House Law. He also visited senior LDP lawmakers opposed to the consumption tax cut to seek their understanding.
Takaichi has praised Kobayashi’s efforts in policy coordination, but she has remained wary that he may run in next year’s party presidential election and has been carefully considering how to position him.
It would be difficult for Kobayashi to run in the race if he remained in the party leadership. Takaichi therefore is believed to have decided to keep him as the head of the LDP Policy Research Council to avoid facing him in the contest.
Takaichi has already decided to retain both Koizumi and Motegi in their posts, based on similar calculations.
Koizumi is known for his strong communication skills, including his sharp rebuttals of China’s claims. The prime minister expects him to lead the effort toward a year-end revision of three key documents related to defense, including the National Security Strategy.
Motegi has been actively engaged in overseas visits, building relationships of trust with foreign ministers and others in various nations. Takaichi values continuity in diplomacy and also gives credit to Motegi’s extensive diplomatic experience.
However, Takaichi has yet to decide on Hayashi’s position.
In last year’s leadership race, Hayashi failed to gain enough support from rank-and-file party members and members of affiliated groups. Since taking office as internal affairs and communications minister last October, he has visited about 20 prefectures, including Hokkaido, to inspect regional revitalization initiatives and other efforts.
He has held dinner meetings with regional assembly members and Diet members on their home turf during his inspection tours.
On Monday, Hayashi visited a mobile supermarket in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, and had lunch with Nobuhide Minorikawa, chairperson of the LDP’s Akita prefectural chapter.
“It was truly worthwhile to see the efforts on the scene and hear firsthand accounts,” Hayashi told reporters in Akita City following the visit.
Some close to Hayashi have said he should run in the next party leadership election. If he were to leave the Cabinet, it is highly likely that Hayashi would accelerate his preparations for the race. Takaichi is expected to carefully assess his intentions before making a decision on his position. - The Japan News/ANN
