Facing Sanae Takaichi’s Potential Rise to Prime Minister and Government Shift

There are also rumors that, if it comes to a runoff, the largest faction, the Aso faction, will back Takaichi.

Amid all this, opposition party members are reportedly quietly smiling.

A policy secretary for a Constitutional Democratic Party lawmaker said:

“We definitely want Takaichi to become Prime Minister. That would make it easier to target her in a snap general election. We believe that a change in government wouldn’t just be a dream.”

 

 

 

“The Constitutional Democratic Party has been reborn as mild conservatism.”

Initially, Takaichi struggled to gather supporters but managed to secure 20 people to endorse her candidacy. However, 13 of those 20 were under-the-table money politicians, leading to widespread criticism. Takaichi claims,

“I didn’t know until I read the newspaper.”

But if she becomes Prime Minister, she will undoubtedly face scrutiny over the under-the-table money issue. Her stance on the former Unification Church problem is also ambiguous.

“In terms of economic policy, she has stated that she will follow Abenomics, which implemented unprecedented monetary easing. In other words, it’s a sequel to Abe’s politics. It’s obvious that the Constitutional Democratic Party will target this,” said a political insider.

Moreover, the new leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, Noda, is expected to garner some support from conservative factions. A political reporter from a national newspaper shared thoughts on future scenarios:

“With Noda as the new leader, the Constitutional Democratic Party has taken on an image akin to mild conservatism. In the elections, they will likely form a coalition without the Japanese Communist Party, taking lessons from the previous gubernatorial election. What I’ve sensed while traveling across the country is that people are angry about the Liberal Democratic Party’s under-the-table money issues. Many say, ‘I usually support the Liberal Democratic Party, but I don’t know if I’ll vote for them next time.’ They will aim for that voter base.”

For the hardline conservative Takaichi, Noda poses a challenging opponent. Despite having harshly criticized Noda within the Liberal Democratic Party, some are now saying,

“If it’s an election, it might be Koizumi.”

— a rather late realization. Conversely, voices from the opposition are saying,

“Anything but Koizumi.”

It’s conventional to select a party leader with the upcoming general election in mind. It seems there could be further twists and turns ahead.