Takaichi Faces Backlash from Supporters Over Negative Campaigns Amid Party Concerns About Election Viability

The outcome of the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election (voting on September 27) is becoming chaotic.

Starting off strong is former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who has gained support as a “kingmaker” backed by former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and has been touted as the leading candidate. However, with each debate, his approval ratings have plummeted, and some media polls indicate he has already fallen out of contention for the top two seats in the presidential election.

“His vague ‘one-phrase responses’ are inherited from his father, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. It has long been whispered that ‘the flaws will eventually show,’ but it has come too soon,” said a Nagatacho insider.

On the other hand, Sanae Takaichi, the Minister for Economic Security, is facing a series of troubling issues as her popularity rapidly rises.

One issue is that Takaichi sent policy leaflets to party members before the presidential election.

In this presidential election, on September 3, the election management committee decided to aim for a “cost-free presidential election” by prohibiting the mailing of policy pamphlets. Takaichi claims that she completed the mailing procedures by the end of August, but on the BS Nittere program broadcast on the 16th, former Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba’s supporter, House of Representatives member Masaaki Hirano, stated,

“No other camp has sent anything at all”

And stated firmly. Regarding the factors behind Takaichi’s rapid rise,

“There is an analysis suggesting that had an impact”

He mentioned.

On the 11th, Election Management Committee Chairman Ichiro Aizawa verbally cautioned Takaichi. Despite this, discontent has emerged from other candidates, and the party leadership, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, has requested the presidential election management committee to take additional actions. The aforementioned Nagatacho insider stated,

“Takaichi is pretending it’s a coincidence, but no one believes it. There’s no doubt that questions remain about the fairness of the presidential election.”

And condemned.

The second issue is that among the 20 supporters for Takaichi, 13, including House of Representatives member Mio Sugita, are labeled as “under-the-table money politicians.” This number is particularly outstanding compared to other candidates.

Takaichi herself stated on the TBS program broadcast on the 17th,

“I entrusted the selection of supporters to the campaign team. I didn’t know until I read the newspaper the next day.”

But this comes across as somewhat irresponsible.

Lawyer Masaki Kito stated on X (formerly Twitter),

“A candidate with supporters involved in under-the-table money issues will naturally postpone the problem of illegal funds or may be lenient toward it. I believe they should not become the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, that is, the Prime Minister.”

He pointed out.

The third issue is the problem related to the former Unification Church.

Up to this point, these issues had not been major points of contention, but the Asahi Shimbun scooped on the 17th with a photo showing the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meeting with executives of the former Unification Church at the party headquarters in 2013. The reporting journalist revealed on the Asahi Shimbun Digital YouTube channel that it took six months to verify the information.

The late former Prime Minister Abe had a close relationship with Takaichi, supporting her in the previous LDP presidential election. On social media, enthusiastic supporters are calling for support for Takaichi, and in 2001, an interview article featuring her was published in a monthly magazine affiliated with the Unification Church.

“Takaichi is eager, believing that being ‘the first female Prime Minister of Japan’ is within reach, but lawmakers are thinking about the impending general election, which could happen as early as this year. The real question is whether Takaichi can fight as Prime Minister. She may face intense scrutiny from the opposition regarding the issues of illegal funds and the former Unification Church, which could leave her on the defensive. This would be counterproductive and hardly a refreshing image. Voices within the party are starting to say that we can’t fight the election with Takaichi,” said a political reporter from a national newspaper.

The Takaichi camp is furious over the ongoing “negative campaign,” stating,

“It’s an overt attempt to eliminate Takaichi!”

The journalist remarked,

“If it comes down to a runoff between Ishiba and Koizumi, it would likely be Koizumi. The issue arises if Koizumi fails to make it to the runoff and it ends up being Ishiba vs. Takaichi. Koizumi’s votes would flow to Ishiba, while some factions like the Aso and Abe groups might side with Takaichi. Either way, it would be a close contest.”

He said.

There are still about 20% of lawmakers and party members who have not decided on their voting preferences, making it difficult to predict the situation. It seems that a tight contest will continue up until the voting day.