2 Candidates for LDP President Deluged with Questions at Debate; Rivals Aiming to Make Runoff in Hotly Contested Race

By Michitaka Kaiya and Masashi Nakata / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

16:57 JST, September 15, 2024

Two candidates in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election — former LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba and former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi — appear to be drawing the most attention from their rivals, as various opinion polls indicate they are in the strongest position.

Ishiba and Koizumi were bombarded with questions at a public debate held Saturday among all nine hopefuls.

Many now believe that the upcoming election is so hotly contested, none of the nine candidates will receive a majority in the first round, leading to a runoff between the top two. Under these circumstances, the other hopefuls seem to be aiming to reach the runoff by pointing out problems with Ishiba and Koizumi’s arguments.

Saturday’s debate highlighted differences in their opinions over security, energy and regulatory reforms.

Nuclear power, Asian NATO

Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, opened the debate by asking Ishiba, 67, “Am I correct in assuming that you will aim to reduce the number of nuclear power plants, and the proportion of nuclear power generation, to zero?”

Ishiba responded: “We should not forget the lessons we learned from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. I will aim to make the most of the potential of renewable energies.”

However, Kobayashi expressed concern, saying, “If the use of renewable energy is increased, electricity rates will rise for a while, putting pressure on people’s lives.”

LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi, 68, was skeptical about the creation of an Asian version of NATO, an idea advocated by Ishiba. “Asia is comprised of diverse countries with many different values, and these countries have different relationships with China,” Motegi said.

Ishiba pushed back, saying, “Theoretically, it’s possible.”

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 63, also aimed his questions at Ishiba. Regarding his idea of creating a “disaster prevention ministry,” Hayashi asked how he would deal with a chain of command that includes the Self-Defense Forces and fire, police and other departments.

Ishiba pointed out that most of Cabinet Secretariat officials in charge of disaster prevention are staff loaned from relevant government ministries and agencies. “Neither knowledge nor experience has been accumulated. I will change the situation at once,” Ishiba stressed.

Ride-share services

Each of the nine candidates had an opportunity during the debate to name one candidate and ask that person questions. Koizumi and Ishiba were both questioned by the most people, three each.

Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, 63, asked Koizumi about the safety of ride-share services, in which nonprofessional drivers use their personal cars to transport paying customers. Koizumi is calling for fully lifting the ban on such services.

“In other countries, there are services that let passengers contact a security company if they feel uneasy,” Koizumi stressed.

Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, 71, asked Koizumi, “A G7 summit will take place in 2025 in Canada. What remarks would you make at the meeting?”

Koizumi, 43, replied: “Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was 43 years old when he took office. None [of the LDP candidates] have experience in summit diplomacy. In that regard, we’re all in the same boat.”

Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, 68, asked about one of Koizumi’s major policy pledges — a review of regulations on firing employees. Kato said it was important for companies to provide support measures, such as reskilling programs for workers, before dismissing people.

Consistency of positions

In a question-and-answer session with the event’s organizer, digital minister Taro Kono, 61, and Motegi received many questions concerning the consistency of their political positions.

Kono once emphasized the importance of ending Japan’s reliance on nuclear power, but he later shifted to call for the necessity of nuclear energy. Regarding this, Kono cited a rapid increase in electricity demand — “since the preconditions have changed significantly, we need to consider pragmatic responses.”

Motegi has promised to suspend tax increases to bolster Japan’s defense capabilities. Explaining that tax revenues have increased, Motegi said, “I will change my decision if the situation changes, rather than sticking to the decision because it was made.”