LDP’s Constitution Officially Reinstates ‘Supreme Advisor’ Position Held by Taro Aso; Removed 30 Years Ago Due to Criticism of ‘Gerontocracy’

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:39 JST, March 10, 2025

The Liberal Democratic Party approved an amendment to its constitution that specifies for the first time in 30 years the position of party supreme advisor, which has been held by former Prime Minister Taro Aso since September 2024, at its convention on Monday. The revised party constitution states that the role of supreme advisor will be to “offer opinions in response to the president’s consultations,” among other things.

In the past, the LDP’s supreme advisor role was assumed by former prime ministers such as Takeo Fukuda, Nobusuke Kishi and Zenko Suzuki. However, when the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama was formed in 1994, in which LDP was part of the coalition, younger members seeking political reforms criticized the party for its “gerontocracy” and the position was removed from the party constitution in 1995.

At a press conference on March 3, Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama said, “Mr. Aso has not engaged in political behavior that could be described as a ‘gerontocracy.’”