Taro Aso, on the precipice of the “kingmaker’s race,” has finally made his move…under the radar: “Put it in Sanae Takaichi’s hands!

Put it in Takaichi!

On September 19, word got around among political reporters that former Prime Minister Taro Aso, one of the two “kingmakers” in the political world, had issued such an order.

In the chaotic LDP presidential election (to be held on September 27), there is an extremely high possibility that the first round of voting will not be enough to decide the winner. In that case, a decisive vote will be held between the top two candidates, with a total of 415 votes, 368 from Diet members and 47 from prefectural federations, deciding the outcome.

Shinjiro Koizumi made a strong start, but as the debates wore on, he began to lose steam. Instead, Sanae Takaichi is in hot pursuit.

If Shinjiro vs. Ishiba, Aso would have “no act to play.

Aso is said to be “leaping at the opportunity.

Former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Mr. Aso are now known as the kingmakers in Nagata-cho. They do not have a good relationship. The underlying theme of this presidential election is ‘Who is the real kingmaker? (A reporter in charge of politics for a national newspaper).

At first, it was Kan, who had Shinjiro and Shigeru Ishiba as his “pawns,” who was in a good mood. If the final vote was “Ishiba vs. Shinjiro,” that would be the end of it. He was in a position to exert his influence no matter which way the vote went.

However, with Mr. Shinjiro’s expected growth stagnant and Mr. Takaichi’s rapid rise in the polls, there is now a possibility that Mr. Aso’s “bowl of cards” will be turned over to Mr. Kan.