Aso Calls for Early LDP Presidential Election, Fueling Momentum

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:36 JST, September 4, 2025

Democratic Party Supreme Advisor Taro Aso said Wednesday he will submit a request to hold an early party presidential election, a move seen as effectively recommending that the current party president, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, resign.

“I will sign and submit a document demanding that the party presidential election be held earlier than scheduled,” Aso said in a meeting of the 43-member Aso faction in Yokohama.

Aso’s remarks came as Ishiba indicated Tuesday that he intends to stay in office. Momentum is building among LDP members to support an extraordinary presidential election.

The decision on whether to hold an early election is scheduled to be made on Monday. The election will be held if a majority (172) of 342 individuals — comprising 295 LDP Diet members and 47 prefectural chapter representatives — demand it.

The Aso faction is the only remaining faction in the party, making its stance closely watched. With Aso clarifying his position, the majority of the faction members are likely to support their leader’s move. The judgment of Aso, a former prime minister, is also expected to influence those outside the faction.

In a speech at the faction meeting, Aso emphasized that the July House of Councillors election was “a crushing defeat.”

“What we must do is to build a management structure capable of winning the next House of Representatives election,” Aso said.

Regarding the call for an extraordinary presidential election, he said to the faction members: “How can we build a management structure in which we can be united to move forward? I ask each of you to make your own judgment.”

Support within the government is also mounting. Yasushi Hosaka, senior vice minister for digital transformation, stated his support for an extraordinary election on his blog on Wednesday. Masahiro Komura, senior vice justice minister, also declared on Facebook on Tuesday that he would call for an early election.

Amid active voices of support, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who is close to Ishiba, told reporters in Kuwait on Tuesday, “There is no one more suitable than the prime minister to be the leader.”