Further Headwinds for LDP as Nagata-cho’s God of Elections Reveals Kishida’s Removal Fate
Shinji Ishimaru (41), former mayor of Akitakata City, gained prominence in the Tokyo gubernatorial election held on July 7. It was election planner Shinnosuke Fujikawa (71) who helped Ishimaru achieve 1.62 million votes, far exceeding the expected 500,000. Fujikawa joined Ishimaru’s campaign team as a volunteer.
Since becoming a parliamentary secretary at age 23, Fujikawa has been involved in 144 elections, losing only 12 times. He is renowned in Nagata-cho as the “Muneo Suzuki of the East and Shinnosuke Fujikawa of the West,” a distinguished secretary. Now working as an election planner, he is known as the “God of Elections” or “Election Master.” We asked this renowned expert how to approach the next election, with excitement still high from Ishimaru’s impressive performance.
Evaluating “Hardline Measures”
First, I asked about Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (66), who is struggling with low approval ratings.
“In terms of achievements, Prime Minister Kishida has accomplished quite a lot. Although there are many loopholes and the substance is debatable, he managed to pass the Political Funds Control Law amendment during the recent ordinary Diet session. Throughout a series of political reforms, he has consistently taken the lead, including attending the Political Ethics Review Committee himself. He has actively engaged in negotiations with Komeito and the Japan Innovation Party while compiling political reform proposals. A major accomplishment is the significant increase in defense budget. He aims to double it to 2% of GDP by fiscal year 2027 and has shown direction toward acquiring the capability to attack enemy bases to prevent missile launches in other countries’ territories. This is something previous cabinets could not achieve, and it has earned him trust from conservative factions. Moreover, he has even mentioned restarting nuclear power plants, which the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry had been reluctant to do, facing minimal public backlash. The Nikkei Stock Average has also surpassed 40,000, reaching record highs.”
What surprised Fujikawa most about the Kishida administration was the way it turned the issue of faction-related slush funds into a catalyst for faction dissolution. The LDP has repeatedly declared its intention to resolve faction-related problems, such as the 1988 Recruit scandal, by dissolving factions. However, these declarations often amounted to nothing more than superficial changes. Fujikawa believed that this would be the case again this time.
