Poll: Sanae Takaichi Favorite to Be Next LDP President; Shinjiro Koizumi a Close Second in Ruling Party Race

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:43 JST, September 16, 2025

Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi is believed to be the most suitable choice to be the next president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, according to a poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Conducted on Saturday and Sunday, the survey asked who would be best for the post of LDP president among eight of the candidates in the previous election in September 2024. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the current LDP president and who announced earlier this month that he will step down, was not listed as a choice.

Takaichi was chosen by 29% of respondents, while Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi was in second place with 25%. Former LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi and former digital minister Taro Kono tied for third place with 7% each, followed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi with 6% and Takayuki Kobayashi, former minister in charge of economic security, with 3%.

Fourteen percent of respondents said they had no particular choice. 

Among LDP supporters, Koizumi emerged as the first pick with 33%, while Takaichi lagged behind at 28%. Kono remained in third with 9%, followed by Hayashi at 8%, Motegi with 6% and Kobayashi at 5%. Four percent of LDP supporters did not make a choice.

Asked about the reasons for their pick, with multiple answers allowed from eight choices, 85% of all respondents who supported Takaichi said she has the will to make reforms, 74% said they had high hopes for her policies and 73% cited her vision for the nation.

For Koizumi, 89% said he has the will to make reforms, while 88% cited his ability to convey messages and 84% pointed to his trustworthy personality.

Eighty-four percent of respondents said candidates in the LDP presidential election should clarify how they intend to cooperate with other political parties, while 10% said they did not need to.

When asked to select multiple policies and issues from eight choices that they particularly wanted the candidates to discuss, 88% picked measures to deal with the high cost of living, followed by the economy and employment at 85%, diplomacy and security with 78% and social security at 74%.

Among three parties — the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japan Innovation Party and the Democratic Party for the People — respondents were asked to choose the most desirable partner to join the LDP-Komeito coalition so that the ruling bloc would be a majority in both the House of Representatives and the House of Coucillors.

The DPFP was the most popular choice at 38%, up from 33% in the previous survey in August. The JIP came second with 21%, down from 23%, while the CDPJ was the least popular with 20%, up form 19%. Twenty percent of respondents picked none of the three, down from 25%.

The LDP had the highest support rating at 27%, up from 23%, followed by the DPFP at 9%, unchanged from the previous survey. Sanseito was at 8%, down from 12%, and the CDPJ was at 5%, down from 7%. Respondents who did not support any particular party accounted for 35%, up from 32%.

The survey was conducted by calling 754 home landlines and 1,843 mobile phone numbers selected via random digit dialing. Among the numbers called, 1,043 gave valid answers, with 420 coming over landlines and 623 over mobile phones. All respondents were eligible voters age 18 or older.