Japan's political critic Takaichi throws hat in the ring for party leadership, potentially making her the nation's first female prime minister.
In the upcoming party convention on October 4, Sanae Takaichi and Shinjiro Koizumi are the frontrunners to succeed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Both candidates are seen as favourites in the upcoming selection, with Takaichi announcing her candidacy on Thursday.
Takaichi, a staunchly hawkish leader with a conservative social agenda and a focus on robust national defence programs, has been vocal about China's military build-up in the Asia-Pacific region. She advocates for big government spending and low interest rates, similar to her political mentor, the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
However, Takaichi's political career has not been without controversy. She has visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan's war dead, including war criminals, and is seen by Asian nations as a symbol of Japan's militarist past. This visit may raise concerns among neighbouring countries.
On the other hand, Koizumi, 44, is Takaichi's biggest political rival. He is known for his visits to Yasukuni Shrine and being the telegenic son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. Koizumi is a soft-speaking moderate with policy knowledge, running for the LDP leadership.
According to Junichi Takase, professor emeritus of Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, whoever wins the internal contest will have been chosen based on their ability to revive the LDP and lead it to election victories. The leader of the ruling party can become the prime minister if they receive enough support from opposition parties to form a legislative majority.
The internal contest within the LDP is viewed as a competition to find the candidate with the most election savvy, as major political parties are struggling to gain support from young voters. In Japanese news agency Jiji Press's opinion polls released on Thursday, Koizumi was the public's top candidate for the premiership, with Takaichi running a close second.
The LDP decided to hold the election after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced this month that he would step down after losing two national elections in the past year. The partyroom vote is scheduled for October 4. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, a soft-speaking moderate with policy knowledge, is also running for the LDP leadership.
The outcome of this election will have significant implications for Japan's future, particularly in terms of its foreign policy and economic direction. The public will be closely watching the race between Takaichi and Koizumi to see who will emerge as the next leader of the LDP and potentially the prime minister of Japan.
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