Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi would bring about a change of government… For new Rikken Representative Yoshihiko Noda, “whom he would like to fight and whom he is not good at fighting.

On September 23, the representative election of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) was held in Tokyo, and after a runoff vote with Yukio Edano, Yoshihiko Noda was elected as the new representative of the DPJ.

At a press conference afterward, Noda said, “I am prepared to take the government seriously.

I am prepared to take the government seriously. The battle begins today!

Noda declared in high spirits. He struck a fighting pose for the upcoming general election.

After the election of the representative of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the next step is the LDP presidential election (to be held on January 27). 9 candidates are running, and the latest polls indicate a three-way race among Shigeru Ishiba, Sanae Takaichi, and Shinjiro Koizumi.

Shinjiro’s performance was also sluggish in terms of party members’ votes.

Mr. Koizumi said, “Mr. Shinjiro made a good start, but his approval rating has dropped with each debate, and he is now rated third behind Mr. Ishiba and Mr. Takaichi. If things continue as they are, a runoff between Mr. Ishiba and Mr. Takaichi is likely.

The presidential election is contested by 368 Diet members and 368 party members and friends, for a total of 736 votes; if the first round of voting is inconclusive, a runoff will be held between the top two candidates, with a total of 415 votes, 368 for Diet members and 47 for prefectural assembly members representing party members.

Yoichi Takahashi, an economic commentator who guessed the percentage of votes cast in the Tokyo gubernatorial election this past July, predicted on a radio program that Mr. Ishiba would receive 35 Diet member votes and 120 party members, Mr. Takaichi 40 Diet member votes and 110 party members, and Mr. Shinjiro 60 Diet member votes and 55 party members in the first round of voting. It is surprising to read that Mr. Shinjiro’s party member votes did not grow more than expected.

In the event of a decisive vote between Mr. Ishiba and Mr. Takaichi, he assumed that Mr. Ishiba would receive 185 councilor votes and 25 party member votes, and Mr. Takaichi 185 councilor votes and 20 party member votes, but later corrected on X (formerly Twitter) to an even 205 for both with Mr. Ishiba receiving 180 councilor votes and 25 party member votes and Mr. Takaichi 185 councilor votes and 20 party member votes.

Of the three, Mr. Takaichi is the one who is growing rapidly. Although he made a blunder by mass distribution of leaflets before the election, it does not seem to have had any particular impact on the situation.

“He is receiving overwhelming support from those who are what is commonly referred to as ‘right-leaning,'” says an LDP insider.

Some people believe that a decisive vote would be the most difficult of all. Some sources say that the Aso faction, the largest faction in the LDP, will back Noda if a runoff election is held.

Amidst all this, opposition party officials are said to be gloating.

A policy secretary for a member of the Rikken assembly said, “I would love to have Mr. Takaichi as prime minister.

I really want Mr. Takaichi to be the prime minister. That way, when the general election is held, it will be easier for the opposition to take aim at him. I believe that a change of government is not a dream.

I believe that a change of government is not a dream,” he said.

The Rikken Democratic Party of Japan, reborn as a “mildly conservative” party

Mr. Takaichi initially had difficulty in gathering nominees, but he managed to get 20 of them to run for office. However, 13 of the 20 nominees were “backers,” and he was inundated with criticism from various quarters. The man himself said, “I didn’t know about it until I saw the newspaper.

I didn’t know about it until I saw it in the newspaper.

However, if he were to become prime minister, he would inevitably face scrutiny regarding the slush fund issue. Mr. Takaichi’s attitude toward the issue of the former Unification Church has also been lackluster.

In terms of economic policy, he says he will follow the Abenomics policy of extraordinary monetary easing, which he calls “Abe politics. In other words, it is a continuation of “Abenomics. It is obvious that Rikken will take advantage of this.

Moreover, the new representative of Rikken is Noda, who is expected to have a certain amount of support among conservative voters. A reporter in charge of politics for a major national newspaper described the “future scenario” as follows: “Noda will be the new representative.

Noda’s election as the new representative gives the Rikken a “mildly conservative” image. In the election, based on the lessons learned from the recent Tokyo gubernatorial election, he is expected to lead the opposition parties to a joint struggle without the Japanese Communist Party (JCP). What I sensed while traveling around the country was that the public is angry about the LDP’s slush fund problem, and that there are many people who say, “I usually support the LDP, but I don’t know if I will vote for them next time. He will probably target that segment of the population.

For Mr. Takaichi, a hard-line conservative, Mr. Noda is a difficult opponent. While he has been a staunch critic of Mr. Noda within the LDP, Mr. Takaichi said, “If it were an election, he might be Shinjiro.

If it were an election, it might be Shinjiro. ……

Some in the LDP are beginning to say, “It’s a little too late now. On the other hand, opposition parties are saying, “No, not Shinjiro.

“Just not Shinjiro,” one opposition party member said.

The opposition parties, on the other hand, are saying, “Not Shinjiro.

It is a standard practice to choose a president by counting backward from the dissolution of the Diet and the general election. It is likely that there will be another upheaval or two.