5 File Candidacy For Japan’s LDP Presidential Election; Key Issues Including Continuing High Prices, Party Reform

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:01 JST, September 22, 2025

Five Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers filed their candidacy for the party presidential election on Monday at LDP headquarters as official campaigning began on the day.

In the order that their applications were accepted, the five candidates are former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, 50; former LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi, 69; Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64; former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, 64; and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 44.

The election will determine Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s successor as LDP president. Focal points include economic measures to deal with prolonged high prices and party reforms.

Another campaign issue will be how the LDP cooperates with opposition parties, as the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito are now minority ruling parties in the both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.

Voting and ballot-counting will take place on Oct. 4. The candidates will compete for a total of 590 votes over the 12-day campaign period.

The election will be held under the full-scale method stipulated in the party’s election rules. Specifically, each of the 295 LDP lawmakers has one vote, while rank-and-file party members and members of LDP-affiliated bodies will have their ballots converted into 295 votes using the D’Hondt method.

If no candidate secures a majority in the first vote, a runoff will be held between the top two candidates.

Ishiba is stepping down as LDP president in the middle of his term, so the new party leader will serve the remaining duration of Ishiba’s term, which is scheduled to end in September 2027.

All the candidates are prioritizing economic measures, including steps to deal with high prices.

Kobayashi calls for temporary implementation of a flat-rate tax cut to reduce the financial burden on households. Motegi advocates the creation of a special livelihood support subsidy program worth trillions of yen that local governments can spend at their discretion.

Hayashi vows to work toward creating a trend in which real wages increase by about 1% annually, while Takaichi wants to institutionalize a “tax credit with cash payments” system that would combine direct cash payments and income tax cuts.

Koizumi calls for revising the income tax system to introduce a mechanism in which such figures as the basic deduction would be adjusted accordingly to prices and wage increases. The agriculture minister says this mechanism would increase take-home pay.

The candidates’ views differ on working with opposition parties. Kobayashi is simultaneously looking for a debate on a partial coalition to cooperate on an issue-by-issue basis and a debate on the issue of expanding the coalition framework.

Motegi advocates expanding the current coalition framework and sees the Japan Innovation Party and the Democratic Party for the People as candidates for negotiations.

Hayashi has said the issue of the coalition framework should not be discussed during the presidential election campaign. Takaichi has emphasized that she will explore forming a coalition with opposition parties that share the same basic policies.

Koizumi intends to seek to expand the coalition framework by ascertaining the policies and views of other parties.

The five candidates will hold a joint press conference on Tuesday and attend an open debate hosted by the Japan National Press Club. The candidates also will hold joint speech meetings in Tokyo as well as Aichi and Osaka prefectures during the campaign period.

Speeches by candidates

Each candidate gave a 15-minute policy speech at the party’s headquarters starting at 1 p.m. on Monday.

Kobayashi, who spoke first, said, “We will build a Japan where the working generations can feel that hard work always pays off.”

Motegi said 30% of appointments to his cabinet would be women. He added that his goal would be to “revive the LDP and the Japanese economy in two years.”

Hayashi quoted a historical figure from his home prefecture of Yamaguchi and said: “We seek change and innovation within continuity. We will advance policies with this mindset.”

Takaichi touched on problems including assaults on deer in Nara Park and graffiti on shrines. “If there are people coming from abroad who enjoy trampling on the feelings of Japanese people, we must do something,” she said. “I lay my life on the line to protect our ancient traditions.”

Koizumi was last to speak and referenced the 2009 election, when the LDP suffered a crushing defeat and he was first elected. He said, “The LDP’s efforts to rebuild are the very foundation of my political career.”