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!

If Ishiba and Shinjiro had remained in the runoff, Aso would have been left out of the running. When Mr. Takaichi intervened, Mr. Aso, through his local Fukuoka office, called on more than 50 members of his faction to vote for him. The Aso faction is the only one that has maintained its faction after the slush fund issue was uncovered. At first, he was reading the situation and said he would vote voluntarily, but now he has finally made his own move.

The Aso faction is not monolithic, and it is not clear how many of its members will respond to Oyabun’s order. Still, there is no doubt that the Aso faction has become a key player in the presidential race.

The one who is not amused is Kan. First of all, who will be left in the decisive vote, Shinjiro or Ishiba? It is now necessary to read the votes,” said a political insider.

Concerns about Mr. Takaichi’s fierce pursuit

The political power struggle is always a little darker than it seems. If this were a TV drama, it would be quite entertaining.

Many questions remain about Mr. Takaichi, including the issue of sending policy leaflets to party members before the presidential election, the fact that 13 of his 20 endorsers, including Mizue Sugita, are “backstage money councilors,” and his “relationship” with the former Unification Church. Many questions remain about the “relationship” with the former Unification Church.

In particular, regarding the issue of “slush fund” endorsers, on a TV program broadcast on January 17, he said, “I’m not sure which one [endorser] I can put in.

He said, “I left it up to the election committee and the team to decide who they would recommend. I didn’t know about it until I read the newspaper the next day.

He also said that the term “kurakane senator” was “incorrect.

It is not correct. There are people who have explained everything to the public in their constituencies, and they are satisfied with it.

He also quipped, “I didn’t know about it when I read the newspaper the next day.

He has stated clearly that when he becomes president, he has no intention of conducting an additional investigation into the slush fund case. Each candidate was slurring his words, but Takaichi was the only one who said so clearly. This is said to be a “hidden message” to attract the slush fund lawmakers to their side.

Mr. Takaichi has inherited the will of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and plans to follow the “Abenomics” policy of extraordinary monetary easing in terms of the economy. According to a source in the opposition, “In the end, the presidential election will be a referendum on the people.

In the end, the presidential election is nothing but a power struggle without the people. She has ardent sympathizers because they see a vision of Mr. Abe. The LDP will never change.”

The opposition parties are also not monolithic, and when it comes to the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the presidential election itself is not being talked about at all. A reporter for a national newspaper said at the beginning of this article

There have been a number of scandals, including the falsification of Moritomo’s official documents, which would normally be classified as a regime change. The biggest problem is the opposition’s inability to make the most of these scandals.

He asserts, “The biggest problem is the opposition’s inability to make a difference.

The general election will be held as early as this year. Will history repeat itself?