Ishin Demands Six Cabinet Posts in Reshuffle—Young LDP Members Voice Outrage

The Takaichi administration’s reliance on Ishin and friction within the LDP

“Huh? Where did our Akita dog go?”

When Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, 65, muttered those words, staff at the Prime Minister’s Office hurried off to look for a certain male lawmaker—

The person referred to as an “Akita dog” by the prime minister of the day is Takashi Endo, 58, chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee of Nippon Ishin no Kai and a special adviser to the prime minister. Endo also serves as chairman of the Akita Inu Preservation Society and presented figure skater Alina Zagitova, 24, with an Akita dog named “MASARU.” Takaichi reportedly calls him “Akita dog” affectionately.

Since October last year, the Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai have formed a coalition government. Endo was one of the key figures behind the coalition, and he enjoys Takaichi’s strong trust. Endo himself says:

“Apparently she calls me that when I’m not around, but it’s true, so I don’t find it offensive. I’m impressed by how amusing the prime minister is with her choice of words.”

The fact that a senior Ishin lawmaker is willing to laugh off being treated like a loyal dog illustrates just how close the relationship between the Takaichi administration and Ishin has become. One factor behind this is the Cabinet reshuffle and LDP leadership changes expected as early as mid-September.

Taro Aso, 85, deputy president of the LDP; Shunichi Suzuki, 73, secretary-general; Minoru Kihara, 57, chief cabinet secretary; Shinjirō Koizumi, 45, defense minister; Satsuki Katayama, 67, finance minister; and Toshimitsu Motegi, 70, foreign minister, are expected to remain in their posts, with the basic structure of the administration to be maintained. Attention is also focused on the fate of Yoshimasa Hayashi, 65, minister for internal affairs and communications, who is considered to be at some distance from Takaichi, and Junichi Ishii, 68, secretary-general of the LDP’s House of Councillors caucus. However, in this Cabinet reshuffle, Ishin, which is part of the coalition, is moving toward appointing its first cabinet ministers.

“One, two, three.”

These consecutive numbers represent the number of Cabinet posts requested by Ishin. The breakdown is expected to be one minister, two senior vice ministers, and three parliamentary vice-ministers.

When the coalition government was formed last October, Takaichi asked Ishin to share responsibility for the government together. Ishin responded by opting for cooperation from outside the Cabinet, declining to have its lawmakers enter the government as ministers, senior vice ministers, or parliamentary vice-ministers. This time, however, it is expected to shift toward cooperation from within the Cabinet, with Secretary-General Hiroshi Nakatsuka, 70, reportedly likely to be selected for a ministerial post.

However, this decision is causing ripples within the LDP.

“Among younger LDP lawmakers, dissatisfaction is building over the preferential treatment being given to Ishin. At the recent extraordinary Diet session, a bill related to the secondary capital concept was passed, but there are few benefits for national politics. Ishin is the only party insisting on passing the bill to reduce the number of Diet members, while the opposition parties are pushing back, and the more the government accommodates Ishin’s wishes, the more difficult Diet management becomes.

However, for Takaichi, whose party base is unstable, Ishin is like a faction supporting her alongside the Aso faction, and if Ishin lawmakers take important positions, the relationship will become even stronger.

The Aso faction is being given preferential treatment, and the ministerial quota for the House of Councillors also appears likely to be maintained. If deputy minister and parliamentary vice-minister posts are also distributed to Ishin, those positions will become even harder for younger LDP lawmakers to secure.” (Veteran LDP secretary)

“It’s different from Komeito,” distrust of Ishin grows within the LDP

Komeito, the LDP’s former coalition partner, had been negotiating for one minister, three senior vice ministers, and three parliamentary vice-ministers. Ishin has more lawmakers, and as a coalition partner, it would be difficult to say that its demands are unreasonable. However, in practice, the relationship with Komeito appears to have been fundamentally different from that with Ishin.

“Komeito cooperated with us during elections. They may be a paper tiger now, but they were said to be able to bring in around 20,000 votes in each single-member district, and if we asked them to, they would gather people to put up posters, make phone calls, or mobilize supporters for speeches. Of course, we also purchased the Komeito newspaper and Seikyo Shimbun in batches of 100 copies, but they were a reliable presence during elections.

Ishin, on the other hand, does not cooperate in elections, and in some regions, they are actually rival candidates. If an Ishin lawmaker from my own district were appointed as a senior vice minister or parliamentary vice-minister, it would be unbearable.” (Same secretary)

Ishin also has a strong conservative streak and has proposed measures such as introducing nuclear-powered submarines. There are concerns that Ishin’s entry into the Cabinet could strengthen the administration’s hawkish character. Another source of concern is that, with the exception of former foreign minister Seiji Maehara, 64, most of its lawmakers have no experience in government.

“The debating abilities of most of these lawmakers are also unknown. They may have been able to attack the opposition sharply when they were in opposition, but once they become ministers, they will also need the skill to deftly evade questions. If an Ishin minister makes a statement in the Diet that differs from government policy, it will be regarded as a lack of unity within the Cabinet. In fact, during the extraordinary Diet session, House of Representatives member Keishi Abe, 40, made statements as the sponsor of a bill to criminalize desecration of the national flag that contradicted the LDP’s position, saying it would help foster patriotism, and he did not retract his remarks.” (National newspaper political reporter)

Another concern is the possibility of scandals involving Cabinet ministers. Among Ishin’s local lawmakers, cases have emerged of politicians becoming directors of general incorporated associations to avoid high National Health Insurance payments, enrolling in employee health insurance, and reducing their insurance burden—a practice known as evading National Health Insurance. If a scandal were to emerge involving one of the three senior government posts, it could also affect Takaichi, who appointed the official.

“The National Intelligence Agency (formerly the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office) has been going around the various offices in the Diet Members’ Building asking, ‘Have you heard any rumors of power harassment involving young Ishin lawmakers?’ They are probably also conducting background checks before Cabinet appointments, but it seems they have not been able to fully grasp the actual situation surrounding Ishin’s younger lawmakers.” (Same secretary)

Although Takaichi and her “Akita dog” Endo are close, scandals involving Ishin lawmakers given prominent appointments could end up damaging the Takaichi administration. Even in the absence of scandals, favoring Ishin is certain to fuel dissatisfaction within the LDP. The political landscape will shift again following the autumn personnel changes.