Next LDP President Should Be Sanae Takaichi, Says Public in Yomiuri Survey

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:26 JST, August 25, 2025

Sanae Takaichi, a former economic security minister, was chosen as the best pick for the next president of the Liberal Democratic Party in a Yomiuri Shimbun survey conducted from Friday to Sunday.

In the survey, 24% of respondents chose Takaichi as the most suitable lawmaker for the position, followed by 21% who favored Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and 14% who chose Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

The respondents were asked to choose which of 10 LDP politicians they wanted to be the next LDP president.

Taro Kono, a former digital transformation minister, was ranked fourth at 6% and Takayuki Kobayashi, another former economic security minister, was fifth at 4%. Fourteen percent said none of the choices were suitable.

Among LDP supporters, 31% of respondents chose Koizumi, 23% chose Ishiba and only 12% favored Takaichi. Respondents who did not support any specific party backed Koizumi by 22%, Takaichi by 19% and Ishiba by 11%. And as for opposition supporters, 37% chose Takaichi, 14% chose Koizumi and 11% went for Ishiba. Sanseito supporters showed remarkably strong support for Takaichi, with 59% of them favoring her.

Takaichi was also supported by 30% of people in the 18 to 39 and 40 to 59 age groups, for which she was the favorite. Respondents age 60 or older backed Koizumi by 28%, which was higher than the 16% that Takaichi and Ishiba both scored.

Men backed Takaichi by 33%, Koizumi by 16% and Ishiba by 9%. Among women, 27% went for Koizumi, 18% for Ishiba and 16% for Takaichi.

Among all respondents, 52% were in favor the LDP holding its presidential election early. An early race was sought by 69% of those age 18 to 39, 55% of those age 40 to 59 and 39% of those age 60 or older. The younger the respondent, the more likely they were to want the race held early.

Only 38% of LDP supporters were in favor of an early election, and 50% were opposed. As for opposition backers, 65% were supportive and 29% were against. Half of respondents who did not support any specific party were in favor and 30% were opposed.