Taro Aso LDP Supreme Advisor a 84-Year-Old Kingmaker Looks Ahead While Taking a Morning Walk

In early May, when summer-like temperatures were recorded, a group of men stretched across the width of a street in one of Tokyo’s most exclusive residential neighborhoods. At the very center of this visibly stifling group, wearing a relaxed smile, was Tarō Asō, the 84-year-old Supreme Advisor of the Liberal Democratic Party.

“The men accompanying Mr. Asō were reporters assigned to cover him from various media outlets. Mr. Asō makes a morning walk part of his daily routine. The reporters follow along on these walks, trying to gauge what he’s really thinking,” explained a political correspondent from a national newspaper.

Though Asō usually sports a mafia-esque look with a luxury suit and a Borsalino hat, for his walk he opted for casual training wear. After parading through the neighborhood for about 15 minutes with his family in tow, he returned home.

Though pushed into an honorary position as Supreme Advisor with the rise of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (68), Asō, as the leader of a 47-member faction, still keeps a watchful eye over the current administration.

Cohesion against Ishiba

On May 14, the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy Headquarters,” chaired by Mr. Asō, held a meeting. Attending were 57 figures including Acting Chair Sanae Takaichi, the former Minister for Economic Security (64), Advisor Toshimitsu Motegi, the former LDP Secretary-General (69), and Deputy Chair Kōichi Hagiuda, the former LDP Policy Research Council Chair (61). “The Prime Minister’s Office views this gathering as the nucleus of an anti-Ishiba faction and is growing increasingly wary,” said a source within the LDP.

Though Mr. Asō currently has three of his faction’s members in the cabinet — including Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yōji Mutō (69) and Environment Minister Keiichirō Asao (61) — political journalist Kōichi Kakuya analyzes that Asō remains the centripetal force uniting the anti-Ishiba bloc.

“The anti-Ishiba faction isn’t truly monolithic, but Asō’s presence creates the appearance of unity. That, in turn, reinforces his own influence. Although the Ishiba administration is struggling with low approval ratings, it’s unlikely the faction will move to unseat him immediately. With the House of Councillors election scheduled for July 20 as planned, their focus for now will be on that election.”

It was obvious from the scene that day — the battle-hardened Asō showed not the slightest hint of impatience. The LDP insider continued:

“A crushing defeat in the upper house election is almost a given at this point, so they’ll likely bide their time until then. The maneuvering will start after Ishiba resigns to take responsibility, and the subsequent party leadership race. The candidates they’ll back will almost certainly be either Takaichi or Motegi. Then, either in the next administration or the one after, they’ll have Asō’s brother-in-law, former Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, serve as Secretary-General and pass on the faction leadership to Asō’s son, Masatoyo Asō (40). From there, Asō himself would effectively rule from behind the scenes.”

As he strolled along, the kingmaker’s sights were already set beyond Ishiba’s ouster — and that confident smile on his face may well have been a reflection of that certainty.

From “FRIDAY” June 6–13, 2025 combined issue.