New LDP President Takaichi: Entrusted With Steering Party at Crossroads For Its Survival / Resolve Turmoil, Restore Political Functionality

Editorial

15:00 JST, October 5, 2025

Will the election of a new president mark the dawn of a new era for the Liberal Democratic Party? The ruling party appears to have chosen to aim for an approach that can carry out bold reforms by overhauling its greatly slackened nature.

However, the domestic and foreign policy challenges awaiting the LDP’s first female president are more serious than ever before. Can she broadly unite the forces within the party and revitalize the LDP? Her success or failure in steering the party could also have a significant impact on Japan’s future.

Toward Japan’s 1st female prime minister

Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi has been elected as the new president of the LDP.

As the opposition parties have been unable to unite on a joint candidate for prime minister, Takaichi is highly likely to be chosen as prime minister during the extraordinary session of the Diet expected to convene in the middle of this month. This will mark the emergence of Japan’s first female prime minister, in the nation’s 104th Cabinet.

Takaichi topped the first round of voting in the LDP presidential election. She garnered the most votes from rank-and-file members and members of LDP-affiliated organizations, but was behind Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi in votes from party lawmakers.

As Koizumi secured the most votes from lawmakers in the first round, he was seen as the favorite in the runoff. However, Takaichi ultimately surpassed Koizumi in the lawmakers’ votes as well. Lawmakers likely prioritized the wishes of rank-and-file members and members of affiliated organizations seeking to revitalize the stagnant party atmosphere.

The LDP is facing its most serious crisis since its founding. In the recent House of Councillors election, the number of votes it garnered in the proportional representation segment dropped by nearly one-third from the level three years ago. A significant number of conservative voters are said to have tuned away from the LDP.

The LDP’s loss of support among younger generations is also severe. According to Yomiuri Shimbun opinion surveys, the party’s support rate among respondents aged between 18 to 39 stood at 40% in September 2020 during the final month of the administration of then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. However, the figure had fallen to just 14% last month.

With the LDP unable to implement effective measures against such issues as the economic slump and the declining population, voters likely felt the party has become complacent with its vested interests.

The LDP also seemed to be shifting toward more liberal positions, having passed the Law on Promotion of Public Understanding of the Diversity of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, despite doubts about whether it was necessary. Additionally, the party took a positive stance toward the introduction of a system that would allow separate surnames for married couples.

Takaichi has long held conservative views, which may have helped her gain rank-and-file party members’ support due to their aversion to such left-leaning policies.

After the leadership election, Takaichi said: “I will make the LDP an energetic party with fighting spirit. We can’t rebuild [the LDP] unless we mobilize the full strength of all the generations with everyone participating. Everyone will have to work like a workhorse.”

Takaichi has named former U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, known as the “Iron Lady,” as a politician she admires. She appears to relate to Thatcher’s strong reformist stance.

Concerns remain on conveying messages

However, many have argued that Takaichi is overly fixated on her conservative beliefs.

During the campaign period for the previous LDP election last year, she said she would visit Yasukuni Shrine even after becoming prime minister, raising concerns about the impact on diplomacy.

In a campaign speech last month, Takaichi complained about foreign tourists kicking deer in her home prefecture of Nara, drawing criticism from opposition parties who called her remarks “xenophobic.” If she does become a national leader, she must exercise greater caution in her statements.

For the LDP to regain public trust, the party must restore its political functionality, which has drifted aimlessly while being constantly buffeted by opposition parties.

After losing the majority in last year’s House of Representatives election, the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sought to prolong its life by securing cooperation from opposition parties on policy-by-policy basis.

After meekly accepting opposition demands — such as raising the income tax exemption threshold and making high school tuition free — Japan’s fiscal conditions worsened.

Ishiba’s administration must be held accountable for prioritizing its own survival over scrutinizing the validity of policies and fiscal sustainability.

At a press conference, Takaichi expressed willingness to expand the coalition government.

However, if her LDP accepts demands from opposition parties wholesale in return for their joining the coalition, it will be no different from the past.

Amid the declining birth rate and aging population, a coalition should be conditioned on shared responsibility: implementing necessary reforms even if they increase public burdens, and securing funding for policy execution.

It would be unacceptable for Takaichi’s administration to fall into populist politics that just try to win public favor through handouts and tax cuts.

New diplomatic strategy needed

If Takaichi becomes prime minister, her diplomatic skills will be tested immediately.

The administration of U.S. President Donal Trump is embracing protectionism, putting the rule of law that has underpinned the postwar international order and the free trade system at risk.

Meanwhile, the administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping is attempting to win over emerging and developing countries that have been alienated by the United States due to its imposition of high tariffs. China’s support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is also problematic.

Peace negotiations involving the Palestinian territory of Gaza are reaching their final stages.

Japan must exert greater diplomatic efforts to rebuild order and restore peace. It would be essential for her administration to establish a firm diplomatic strategy to respond to the dramatic changes in the international community.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 5, 2025)