Shinjirō Koizumi’s Fall to Third Place Inside His Camp’s Pre-Vote Resignation

Facing a sharp slowdown ……

With just five days left until the voting and counting of the LDP presidential election (September 27), former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (43) finished a debate at the party headquarters on September 22 and headed to the luxurious Chinese restaurant “Fureika,” favored by celebrities.

This restaurant is known within the LDP as a favorite spot of former Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai (85). The evening course ranges from 14,300 to 44,000 yen, a price that seems out of reach for the average citizen.

Although not publicly known, Koizumi is known for his love of shark fin, leading one to wonder if he indulged in high-end cuisine.

“Koizumi has been gathering supporting lawmakers for dinner at high-end restaurants almost every night. During the day, he treats them to high-quality lunch boxes from places like Jojoen and KINTAN, as well as bento from the New Otani, earning high praise from members of the Diet. He brought in Ken Saito (Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, 65) to his camp on the 17th after Saito abandoned his candidacy due to a lack of supporters, gathering 58 Diet votes. While he was strategizing for the runoff vote, his party member votes have been stagnating. According to a reliable survey by Yomiuri Shimbun and Nippon Television (conducted from September 14 to 15 and 21 to 22), he has been stuck in third place for two consecutive weeks, causing his camp to become anxious.

Party member votes are said to be closer to the public’s perception, and if he doesn’t secure first or second place here, he won’t be regarded as the face of the election. The deadline for party member voting is September 26, but the distribution of party member votes will be mostly known one to two days before the voting and counting. If he remains in third place, he won’t be able to count on the support of about 20% of lawmakers who are currently watching the situation, and even those who have already expressed their support may pull back at the last moment,” said a source from Koizumi’s campaign team.

In an emergency opinion poll conducted by Nikkei and TV Tokyo, announced on August 23, Koizumi ranked first in the category of who is suitable to be the next Prime Minister, surpassing former Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba (67). However, in a survey conducted by the same company from September 13 to 15, he fell to third place, overtaken by Sanae Takaichi (63), Minister for Economic Security. In a Kyodo News survey, he is also in third place for party member votes.