Newly elected Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba announced his party leadership lineup Monday, entrusting veterans with key positions as he struggles to unite a deeply divided party.
The new lineup will lead the party into a general election set for Oct. 27.
“I’ll do my utmost to make Japan a place where people can be happy again, while speaking the truth and believing in the people,” Ishiba said at a meeting of the party’s general affairs committee on Monday afternoon.
The new lineup seems to reflect Ishiba’s desire to maintain internal party harmony ahead of the election and reward those who supported him in his bid for the presidency. But a spat with some of his rivals from last week’s leadership race — who rejected his offers of party posts — indicate that the path ahead is riddled with obstacles.
Ishiba named former General Affairs Chairman Hiroshi Moriyama — a close ally of outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida — as secretary-general, the party’s No. 2. A veteran with a wide network across the party, 79-year-old Moriyama is seen as a safe pair of hands capable of steering the party in the upcoming election.
“I’ll strive to carefully avoid making mistakes, by giving due consideration to harmony within the party and engaging in thorough discussions with opposition parties.” Moriyama told a news conference after his appointment, adding that he will seek to listen to the opinions of voters both young and old.
Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi — one of Ishiba’s rivals in the leadership race — assumed the role of chairman of the election committee, a role in which he will act as the party’s face during elections. The appointment marks Koizumi’s first to a party leadership post.
Despite some setbacks in his leadership campaign, Koizumi remains highly popular among the public. He also boasts a good relationship with Ishiba, whom he supported in two previous bids to lead the LDP — in 2012 and 2018.
“My first priority is to concentrate on preparing for the upcoming election,” Koizumi said, adding that he plans to head to the Noto region, an area struck this year by repeated disasters, as soon as Wednesday.
Former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera — a senior member of the now-defunct Kishida faction — will chair the party’s policy committee, while Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki was named as chairman of the general affairs council, a position he has held in the past. Agriculture minister Tetsushi Sakamoto will be the party’s new parliamentary affairs chief.
Onodera told reporters he will set about drafting the party’s electoral manifesto, ahead of the snap election, as soon as possible.
Ishiba named former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga — who, despite backing Koizumi during last week’s presidential election, likely supported Ishiba in the runoff against economic security minister Sanae Takaichi — as the party’s vice president.
Taro Aso, a fellow former prime minister whom Suga replaces in his new role, has been named the party’s senior adviser, an honorary role reserved for former party leaders in the past.
The surprising appointment of two former prime ministers to senior party positions suggests Ishiba is looking to put aside factionalism and form a united front ahead of the imminent election.
Aso’s hostility toward Ishiba is well-known and dates back to when the latter, as agriculture minister in the former’s Cabinet in 2009, suggested that Aso step aside. In Friday’s runoff, Aso supported Takaichi.
As for Takaichi herself, she reportedly rejected an initial offer of the position of general affairs chair. Similarly, former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi turned down the role of chairman of the party’s communications committee. The rejections illustrate the deep scars the election left within the party.
In a meeting between Ishiba and Komeito’s new leader, Keiichi Ishii, on Monday afternoon, both parties formalized a coalition agreement ahead of the general election.
Ishiba is slated to be officially elected as prime minister on Tuesday in a plenary session of parliament.
