Japanese Representative Sanae Takaichi yesterday said that she would contest the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership election.
Takaichi, seen among the favorites in the race, is likely to face off against Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shinjiro Koizumi, who is expected to formally declare his candidacy today.
They aim to succeed Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as the head of the LDP in a party vote slated for Oct. 4.
Photo: AFP
“What we need now is politics that transforms people’s daily lives and anxieties about the future into hopes and dreams,” Takaichi said in a brief media address to announce her run. “And it is also strong politics that will overcome the crisis Japan faces.”
Takaichi, 64, has advocated for a conservative social agenda and robust national defense programs.
On the economic front, she has pushed government spending and low interest rates that echo policies of her political mentor, former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
She was also a regular visitor to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead and is seen by other Asian nations as a symbol of Japan’s militarist past.
On China, she has been vocal on Beijing’s military buildup in the Asia-Pacific region.
Takaichi has run in past LDP leadership elections, including finishing second to Ishiba last year.
Three men have already formally declared their candidacy in the party vote, including Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, but Takaichi’s biggest political rival is Koizumi, 44, who also often goes to Yasukuni and is the telegenic son of former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Whoever wins the internal contest would have been chosen from the viewpoint of who can best “revive the LDP and lead it to election victories,” said Junichi Takase, professor emeritus at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
Pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s (黎智英) fraud conviction and prison sentence were yesterday overturned by a Hong Kong court, in a surprise legal decision that comes soon after Lai was jailed for 20 years on a separate national security charge. Judges Jeremy Poon (潘兆初), Anthea Pang (彭寶琴) and Derek Pang (彭偉昌) said in the judgement that they allowed the appeal from Lai, and another defendant in the case, to proceed, as a lower court judge had “erred.” “The Court of Appeal gave them leave to appeal against their conviction, allowed their appeals, quashed the convictions and set aside the sentences,” the judges
RSS