Sanae Takaichi, Minister of State for Economic Affairs and Security, once a “candidate for prime minister” but now facing a “cliffhanger” with the “Queen of Backlash.

I’m not wrong. I can do it.

I repeated it over and over again in my mind as I drove home from Nagatacho to the Akasaka Diet members’ dormitory, clenching my right hand tightly with my supporter. Sanae Takaichi, 62, minister in charge of economic security affairs, is on the precipice of her political life.

It all started with the publication of administrative documents prepared in 2003 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications concerning the “Broadcasting Law. It states that Takaichi, then Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, said, “In the first place, is there such a thing as fair programming on TV Asahi? The document states that Takaichi, then Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, said, “In the first place, is there such a thing as impartial programming on TV Asahi? When asked by Hiroyuki Konishi, 51, a member of the House of Councilors of the Democratic Party of Japan, if he would resign as a member of the Diet if the contents were true, he dared to say, “No, thank you.

Even when the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) later followed up by admitting that the document was genuine, he repeatedly made incoherent statements as if to say, “I am not mistaken,” thereby endangering his own position.

I have had similar experiences in the past,” he said. In 2004, when he was Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, he suggested the possibility of issuing an order to broadcast stations to stop broadcasting. I was bashed, saying, ‘This is a big problem that threatens freedom of expression. When we thought he would retract his comment, he retorted, “The Democratic Party of Japan said the same thing when it was the ruling party. She has a personality that makes it difficult for her to accept the criticism of others.

She was once touted as a candidate for Japan’s first female prime minister, but now she has become a “backbiting queen” who is on the verge of being fired.

Ehime, who came to the U.S. after graduating from Kobe University and studying at Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, is no stranger to episodes of shenanigans. In a book of essays published prior to her first run for office in her hometown of Nara in 1992, she described her love affairs with men in the Mediterranean Sea, including, “In a hotel room with a view of the sea, I was drinking and screwing around,” and “Needless to say, he has excellent technique. The content of these descriptions is still the stuff of stories in political circles.

In an interview, she revealed that she used to be a “delinquent girl” who rode around on a motorcycle. On the other hand, he is not good at politician-like socializing and rooting around, and has no brains or friends. As soon as his political duties are finished, he retires to his lodgings,” said the political desk of a national newspaper.

(A desk clerk at a national newspaper’s political department) Despite this, he has risen to his current position because he was favored by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Political journalist Akiko Azumi says, “Her centripetal force is the ‘power of appeal.

Her centripetal force peaked in the LDP presidential election of 2009. At that time, too, former Prime Minister Abe called for nominees, and the conservative voters were united in their support for Takaichi. Those lawmakers have remained silent this time around, and there is no sign of them defending him. It will be difficult for him to return to the Seiwa-kai (Abe faction).

Even Nikai’s antipathy toward her has been aroused.

The “Madonna of Conservatism” has long since worn off. In addition, Takaichi has also drawn the ire of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (65). A mid-level member of the Abe faction says in a low voice, “Takaichi’s ‘Takaichi style’ performance was a disaster.

When she was approached by Prime Minister Kishida about the current post, Takaichi declined the offer, saying that she could not accept the position. In her own performance, she eventually accepted the post. If she was mocked like this, even Prime Minister Kishida would be angry. The truth is that Takaichi is now saying, ‘Don’t touch me, I’m dangerous.

To add insult to injury, the aforementioned weak “rooting around” of the party has caused a split within the party over the approval of a new candidate and the incumbent in the prefectural election to be held on April 9 in Nara, Takaichi’s hometown. The Japan Innovation Party’s candidate may win the election without being able to unify the two.

The reason for the split is that when Mr. Takaichi asked the incumbent to step down, the incumbent found it difficult to accept his request. As a result, the incumbent decided to run for the office, which was unpopular with heavyweights such as former Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai (83) and Election Task Force Chairman Hiroshi Moriyama (77) for causing confusion. Clearly, Mr. Takaichi’s lack of rooting around was not good for his reputation in his hometown,” said a council member.

I can do it. I can do it,” he said, “but I am powerless on my own, even if I estimate myself strongly. Sooner or later, Prime Minister Kishida and other party leaders will make a decision.

One of her few allies is her husband, Taku Yamamoto, 70, a former member of the House of Representatives, who awaits Takaichi’s return to his dormitory. Yamamoto, who remarried in 2009, is a good cook and serves his wife vegetable juice every morning. Is apologizing for her comments and accepting “internal support” the only way left for her to live out the rest of her political life as a member of the Jingasa House of Representatives?

(Some titles in the text are omitted.)

From the March 31 and April 7, 2023 issues of FRIDAY