Opponents of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) yesterday sought to rally support for a new leadership election, with several party heavyweights reportedly turning on the embattled prime minister.
Ishiba, 68, took the helm of the long-dominant LDP last year and has since lost his majority in both houses of parliament, most recently in upper chamber elections in July.
On Tuesday, four senior LDP figures, including secretary-general Hiroshi Moriyama, offered to resign, but Ishiba said he still had work to do as leader.
Photo: AFP
“I will make appropriate decisions at an appropriate time, but first and foremost, I believe this means dedicating all my efforts to fulfilling what the people truly want me to accomplish,” Ishiba said.
“I won’t run away from taking responsibility,” he said, adding that he had “no intention at all to cling onto my position” if it became untenable.
The LDP is surveying its 295 lawmakers and 47 regional officials across Japan on whether to hold a new leadership contest, in a process due to conclude on Monday next week.
Those backing the idea include former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso, according to national broadcaster NHK and the Yomiuri Shimbun.
Ishiba’s most prominent rival, Japanese Representative Sanae Takaichi, on Tuesday indicated that she would seek a contest.
“In any organization, when things don’t go well, I have my own thoughts about how leaders should take responsibility,” Takaichi told reporters.
Recent opinion polls suggest rebounding support for Ishiba’s Cabinet, with voters less than keen on Takaichi, runner-up in a leadership election last year. A Nikkei survey on Sunday put Takaichi as the most “fitting” successor to Ishiba, but 52 percent of respondents said a leadership contest was unnecessary.
Many LDP lawmakers are still unsure and are asking themselves whether supporting Ishiba might translate into receiving senior government or party assignments, said Ken Takayasu, a professor at Waseda University in Tokyo.
“LDP politicians might sound ideological and some are, but they are more affected by the prospect of a ministerial position or a senior LDP position,” Takayasu told reporters. “Japanese politics often moves with mood, atmosphere, which is very much irrational.”
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