TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio is making efforts to maintain his influence on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as the party holds a leadership election on Sept. 27 to choose his successor.
Kishida is closely watching the moves of candidates in the election, aiming to hold a casting vote. He is also apparently working to make sure that the government direction he has laid down over three years in power will not change.
“These days, the prime minister is in a very jovial mood, as if he has been freed from some sort of shackles,” an LDP official said.
Kishida’s current main focus is on who will succeed him. He has been busy analyzing election-related developments by asking around what each candidate’s camp is doing.
At a press conference on Aug. 14, where he announced a decision not to seek re-election as LDP chief, Kishida encouraged party members to run in the election to choose his successor. “If you believe that you’re the one (to become the next LDP president), please don’t hesitate to throw your hat in the ring,” he said.
After Kishida’s words of encouragement, nearly a dozen people were considering running for LDP leader at one point.
On Thursday, nine LDP lawmakers filed their candidacies for the race. Many people are looking closely at Kishida for hints about who he might support.
Kishida has been working to keep his influence on LDP lawmakers who once belonged to a now-disbanded intraparty faction that he had led.
This month, Kishida has arranged several dinner engagements with such lawmakers. On Sept. 4, he took time out of his busy schedule to attend a meeting of former Kishida faction members in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo.
Kishida’s influence over mid-ranking and younger LDP members, who were looking for direction on the election, was boosted after Chief Cabinet Secretary HAYASHI Yoshimasa and Foreign Minister KAMIKAWA Yoko, both former members of the faction, announced LDP presidential bids.
Upon hearing that Kamikawa, who was the ninth and final person to announce a candidacy, had managed to secure the necessary number of recommenders to run in the election, Kishida told aides that he was glad to hear the news.
Meanwhile, the prime minister expressed his anger when LDP Secretary-General MOTEGI Toshimitsu, one of the candidates in the leadership race, vowed to reconsider the government’s plan to raise taxes to increase defense spending.
A mid-ranking LDP lawmaker close to Kishida said that his anger “means that he will not support anyone who deviates from his policy path.”
Some LDP members believe that Kishida will continue to exert influence after he steps down as prime minister.
“It’s difficult for politicians to shake off the desire to be recognized for their achievements and become a kingmaker,” a government official said.
JIJI Press