Race for Japan’s Next Leader Begins

The contest to choose the next leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) officially began on Monday, with five lawmakers vying to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

The new party leader will be selected in a vote by LDP members and lawmakers on October 4 and is almost certain to be chosen as Japan’s next prime minister, since the LDP holds a majority in the lower house of parliament.

The frontrunners are former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi and Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, both of whom also ran in last year’s party leadership race.

The Candidates

Sanae Takaichi, 64
If elected, Takaichi would become Japan’s first female prime minister. A veteran politician, she has served as economic security minister and internal affairs minister, and lost to Ishiba in last year’s LDP leadership contest. A fiscal and monetary policy specialist, she has pledged higher spending and tax cuts, the restart of nuclear power plants, and tighter screening of foreign investment in sensitive industries.

Known for her nationalist views, Takaichi regularly visits the Yasukuni Shrine—seen by some Asian neighbors as a symbol of Japan’s wartime militarism. Earlier this year she visited Taiwan, suggesting that Japan, Taiwan, and allies form a “quasi-security alliance.”

Shinjiro Koizumi, 44
A rising star from a political dynasty that has shaped Japan for more than a century, Koizumi would be the country’s youngest modern-era prime minister if elected. He is the son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and gained prominence recently for overseeing government measures to address soaring rice prices. On Saturday, he vowed to tackle rising living costs by boosting wages and productivity.

As environment minister, his comments about making climate policy “cool” and “sexy” drew ridicule. An avid surfer, he is also the brother of a well-known Japanese actor.

Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64
Hayashi has served since December 2023 as chief cabinet secretary under former prime minister Fumio Kishida and Ishiba, a role that also makes him the government’s top spokesman. Seen as a steady hand often tapped to fill cabinet vacancies, he told Reuters he would introduce relief measures to ease inflation’s impact and strengthen disaster response if promoted to the top post. He also backs the Bank of Japan’s interest rate hikes.

A pianist, guitarist, and fluent English speaker, Hayashi built a close rapport with former U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his term as foreign minister from 2021 to 2023, bonding over a shared love of music.

Toshimitsu Motegi, 69
A former foreign minister, Motegi is known as a tough negotiator, having led trade talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during Donald Trump’s first term. A close confidant and golf partner of the late prime minister Shinzo Abe, he has also served as trade minister, economy minister, and LDP secretary-general.

Educated at Harvard’s Kennedy School, Motegi worked for the Yomiuri newspaper and consulting firm McKinsey before entering politics in 1993. He supports the Bank of Japan’s efforts to normalize monetary policy and has urged Japanese firms to increase investment instead of hoarding cash.

Takayuki Kobayashi, 50
Kobayashi served as economic security minister under Kishida. A finance ministry alumnus who also worked at Japan’s embassy in the U.S., he is a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School. He has proposed a temporary reduction in flat tax rates and tougher rules on foreign acquisitions of companies and land.

Like Takaichi, he belongs to the LDP’s conservative wing and supports revising Japan’s pacifist constitution to formally recognize the role of the Self-Defense Forces.