Japan ruling party to hold unpredictable vote for next leader on Friday

With the factions dissolved

The above would be nice to believe, but is probably doubtful. No politician is an island, each needs support from other politicians.

Japan could get its first woman or youngest-ever prime minister on Friday when the ruling party holds a leadership vote described as the most "unpredictable" in many years.

The tension is high to see who the LDP mandarins will select to carry out the same policies to benefit the LDP/Japan Inc combine.

Democracy?

Wonder who the LDP supporters lurking in their rooms and on JT would support, and why. Perhaps they can educate us.

Surprising to see Ishiba get this far, having come and gone from the LDP multiple times, and is an accused traitor in the eyes of party faithful. Some are even accusing him of having involved in various leaking against the party.

Ishiba is in with Mitsubishi, With defence spending increasing on the up and Mitsubishi military Industries the biggest requisitioning of these funds would like nothing like nothing more better then to Ishiba have more control of the defence spending.

I would like to see the Foreign Minister get the nod, but my money will be on Ishiba.

Surprising to see Ishiba get this far, having come and gone from the LDP multiple time

Ishiba has never left the LDP, he has been on various cabinets in his career, including serving as Director General of the Japan Defense Agency, Minister of Defense and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

The biggest loser will be Koizumi. Through policy debates and interviews, the whole nation has learned how shallow and inexperienced he is, quite unfit to hold the highest office. Takaichi would be the least of the nine LDP evils. She sounds hawkish but I doubt it very much if she continues to visit Yasukuni once she becomes PM.

Woman? Scary. Might do things differently.

Young person? Scary. Might try new things.

Ishiba? Not popular, but old, and a man.

While I'd love to see Takaichi or Koizumi in (for the very reasons I mentioned above), I can't see it happening. Be glad to be proven wrong, but I reckon the usual crusty conservatism will win out.

The crazy cat lady, the dim but handsome kid with the famous dad or Mr Middle of the road?

$50 bucks says they go with the guy in the middle. He looks like just another boring old man afraid of new ideas, so he'll be great as a Japanese PM.

No way in hell is Japan going to let a woman run things, too threatening for the status quo. NO WAY.

And Koizumi's kid won't get it, either. Equally threatening with young, fresh ideas. Can't have that.

Old bespectacled bald guy all the way. (slams a crispy $50 bill on the table)

So, the top three most likely to become party leader, and thus PM:

Ultra-nationalist far-right-winger

Militaristic "moderate" right-winger

The other six must be mind-bogglingly horrible for these three to be the cream that has risen to the top. OTOH, considering it's Jiminto, the bottom six are quite possibly better than the party power brokers' picks.

They’ll go with Ishiba. The next boring, safe, “bided his time” old man. It’s all a pantomime anyways.

It’s not the vote that is ‘unpredictable’-it’s the result.

> Japan could get its first woman or youngest-ever prime minister on Friday when the ruling party holds a leadership vote

there's your answer right here.

through each LDP member's eyes

"Let's see, who do I vote for?"

"The woman? HAHAHAHAHA"

"The kid? Nah, I'll lose my guaranteed dinosaur money and kickbacks."

"The same old boring..................nuff said, he gets the vote."

go go Takaichi san

no way in hell LDP elects a woman. AND I doubt the LDP keeps the Prime Minister position. Noda has a really good chance of being PM

dagonToday  07:09 am JST

Democracy?

Yes, insofar as the elected representatives of the people make decisions in the legislature by majority vote. The process for electing those representatives, on the other hand, is just about as far from democracy as you can get.

Ishiba has never left the LDP,

https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EC%9D%B4%EC%8B%9C%EB%B0%94%20%EC%8B%9C%EA%B2%8C%EB%A3%A8

@yubaru

It's in his own wiki page too.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Ishiba

he served as parliamentary vice minister of agriculture under the Miyazawa Cabinet, before defecting from the LDP in 1993, for the Japan Renewal Party. When the Japan Renewal Party merged with several other parties Ishiba became part of the New Frontier Party

I kind of wish Kono gets it. He’s trying to phase out the old crap like hanko, floppy disks, fax machines and supports same sex marriage, separate surnames for married people, speaks fluent English…

I wish I could like Takaichi, she seems very cut-throat and intellegent, but is too conservative, and doesn’t stand for woman which is probably why she’s gotten this far.

Just time wasting and the result is big disappointment, nothing will change at all. The LDP is a verbig bureaucracy, they just know the appeasement of U.S. but nothing else because they just don't want to change or reforming !

I don't have evidence, but reading this, IMHO, Ishiba is probably more invokved in the slushfund accusation than is reported by media.

https://thediplomat.com/2023/12/the-engaging-outsider-can-ishiba-shigerus-iconoclastic-policies-gain-traction/

Matsuno Hirokazu is the former secretary of the Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyukai (Seiwaken) – a political faction once headed by the late Abe Shinzo and still largely defined by adherence to his policy preferences. Matsuno has been accused of skimming money from Seiwaken events in the form of kickbacks from the sale of tickets. 

Dozens of politicians from Seiwaken and four other LDP factions are also implicated in what is said to be an unprecedented multi-million-dollar laundering scheme that persisted over many years. 

Amid the resulting media and political turmoil, Ishiba seeks engagement. Surprisingly, given the bad odor in which the factions find themselves in the wake of the Matsuno affair, Ishiba argues for the necessity of the habatsu.

Unpredictable my a*ss. This is already decided and everything else at this point is just a circus to keep the apathetic Japanese population entertained.

If you’re an investor, pray for Takaichi to win.

Yubaru -

Ishiba has never left the LDP, he has been on various cabinets in his career, including serving as Director General of the Japan Defense Agency, Minister of Defense and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

You need to do a bit more background reading before making wild statements.

Ishiba has been a member of two other political parties - as well as being an independent candidate - since starting out in the LDP.

I side with those who think Ishiba has already been chosen by the powers that be behind the PM chair. I hope Takaichi is chosen so that, if she survives longer than four months, she and President Harris can shake hands, smile for the cameras, and simultaneously twist the undies of die-hard fundamentalists.

I think, under normal considerations it is predictable and also crystal clear who to chose from the nine candidates. In this current phase and the circumstances, the country needs and the country gets Ms Takaichi as PM. Everything else would be quite an irresponsible gamble with the near future.

Sven AsaiToday  02:00 pm JST

In this current phase and the circumstances, the country needs and the country gets Ms Takaichi as PM.

Why? She's just a career political hack who's associated with neo-nazis and who wants to shut down media outlets that dare criticise the government. What has she ever achieved, except getting up to her neck in corruption and sleaze?

yeah, we choose Koizumi to become the PM, then the next moment we complain about the elite politic and family ties..what is happening to Japanese people mindset?

Was hoping Taro Kono would have more momentum for the top job, but Ishiba sounds to be in the lead. Would stay well away from 'photogenic youthful candidates' whose fathers were former popular Prime ministers. Look at Canada for reference for what an absolute train wreck that can become!

I wouldn't write off Sanae with the usual low-resolution 'far-right nutjob' brushstroke, quite the contrary. From many accounts, she has shown herself to be an intelligent, savvy, and capable leader in wait.

Let's see who has played the game the best, and made the most promises and alliances from within the old juggernaut that is the LDP! See who will be at the helm for what is guaranteed to be some turbulent waters ahead.

Ricky Kaminski13Today  03:47 pm JST

I wouldn't write off Sanae with the usual low-resolution 'far-right nutjob' brushstroke, quite the contrary. From many accounts, she has shown herself to be an intelligent, savvy, and capable leader in wait.

Which accounts? I haven't seen any of them. Last I heard of her was when she was pledging to resign if leaked documents about her plans for NHK turned out to be genuine. They were, she didn't. Insofar as she would represent real LDP values and princi

...principles, sorry, I suppose she'd make quite a good party leader. It would certainly show up what the rest of them are like.

Last Tuesday, after new fact that told deep relation of former LDP PM and Unification Church was revealed, at news show that night, next LDP leader 9 candidates who were asked about re-investigation on relation with Unification Church had all silenced.

They main LDP politicians still continue to depend on far-right religious cult groups.

The room-dwellers seem unable to enlighten us with their opinions. Sad. I was hoping for an insider view!

Simon, good points. She seems though, very comfortable in her own skin, has a trajectory and would be the first female leader to get there through pure grit. Don’t get the feeling that she is anyone’s puppet let’s put it that way.

She may turn out to be someone that could bring the whole nation to the difficult conversations. As a woman opposed to a stuffy old geeza, people will listen. Doesn’t need to run on virtue signaling either, an added bonus, she is definitely her own self! Chotto tanoshimikamo. Mitemiyo.

Kishida was horrible and Japan fell from #2 to #4 under him

Ricky Kaminski13Sep. 26  08:09 pm JST

Simon, good points. She seems though, very comfortable in her own skin, has a trajectory...

Sociopaths and narcissists can come across that way.

and would be the first female leader to get there through pure grit. Don’t get the feeling that she is anyone’s puppet let’s put it that way.

She's a member of Nippon Kaigi. Draw your own conclusions from that.

Simon, sounds like low resolution thinking and branding. May as well stamp her with a ‘far right’ badge while you’re at it mate, you know the convenient shortcut to nuanced thinking.

Intend to reserve judgement until we get to see what she can do. If she is being branded by the mob so early it means she has something. Nippon Kaigi? Please.

Ricky Kaminski13Today  10:28 am JST

Simon, sounds like low resolution thinking and branding.

I daresay it does if you're a fan.

May as well stamp her with a ‘far right’ badge while you’re at it mate,

Sure, why not.

you know the convenient shortcut to nuanced thinking.

I've been aware of Takaichi for a while and I see very little that's nuanced about her at all.

Intend to reserve judgement until we get to see what she can do.

She's hardly a political newbie. She's had ample opportunities to show us what she can do.

If she is being branded by the mob so early it means she has something.

What does she have?

Nippon Kaigi? Please.

You are saying she not involved, or that it's much less of a far-right cabal than we all think?