New LDP Leadership Reflects Aso’s Influence; Concerns Mount over Apparent Return to Past

By Daiki Misawa and Miyako Taniguchi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

17:03 JST, October 8, 2025

The new Liberal Democratic Party leadership, which launched Tuesday, strongly reflects the will of former Prime Minister Taro Aso, who backed the rise of LDP President Sanae Takaichi and was influential in the presidential election.

However, concerns are emerging within the party that the appointments are “reward-oriented and far from an indication of party unity.” Lawmakers who failed to properly report political funds were appointed to key positions, which has the potential to be a flashpoint.

Address

“I’d like you to strive for harmony within the party and fully unleash its underlying strength,” Takaichi said during the new leadership’s first executive meeting at the party headquarters on Tuesday. During the presidential election, she repeatedly emphasized her resolve to rebuild the party through a united front, advocating for “the full strength of all generations to be mobilized.”

However, the party leadership ended up being dominated by lawmakers who supported her during the presidential race. The camps of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, her opponent in the runoff, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, who came third in the first round, were sidelined from the party’s core leadership. The situation has led to a flurry of complaints within the party, with some saying that there is “no semblance of balance” and that the motive behind the appointments is “too blatant.”

Seeking harmony through personnel appointments after a leadership election is “a wise move to stabilize government operations,” according to a former cabinet minister. After the 2012 leadership election, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who won in the runoff, appointed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who finished first in the first round, as secretary general. Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appointed Takaichi, who finished third in the first round of the 2021 LDP presidential race, as Policy Research Council chair, and Taro Kono, the former digital minister he defeated in the runoff, as Public Relations Headquarters chief.

Personnel authority

In the latest “winner takes all” leadership reshuffle, Aso stands out. Under the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Aso was not part of the mainstream, holding the largely honorary position of supreme adviser. Now, however, he has been appointed LDP vice president, a position placing him at the core of the executive leadership. The appointment is symbolic, especially because he has replaced former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who supported Koizumi in the latest leadership race.

According to party sources, Takaichi’s camp informed Aso during the final stages of the leadership race that they would consult him on personnel appointments if she won, as the camp was seeking support from the former prime minister. Aso then instructed lawmakers of the Aso faction — the 43-member, sole remaining LDP faction, which he leads — to vote for Takaichi in the runoff. A close aide to Takaichi said, “While personnel decisions are ultimately made by Takaichi, it can be said that Aso held de facto control over the appointments.”

While Takaichi’s aides proposed appointing “Koizumi as secretary general” and “Hayashi as Policy Research Council chair,” those appointments did not materialize. For secretary general, Aso had already decided to appoint his brother-in-law, former Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, who is a member of the Aso faction. For Policy Research Council chairperson, he recommended former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, whom he favors and who voted for Takaichi in the runoff. Meanwhile, Haruko Arimura, a former minister in charge of women’s empowerment and also a member of the Aso faction, was appointed to chairperson of the General Council.

Appointments of lawmakers close to former Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi, who finished fifth in the first round of the presidential election, are also notable. Takaichi’s political stance is far from the political stance of the former Motegi faction, led by Motegi, who has a close rapport with Aso. However, a majority of the former faction supported Takaichi in the runoff. New executives Yoshitaka Shindo, chairperson of the Party Organization and Campaign Headquarters, and Takako Suzuki, chair of the Public Relations Headquarters, are from the former Motegi faction, while Hiroshi Kajiyama, chair of the Diet Affairs Committee, is one of Motegi’s close aides.

After last year’s presidential election, Ishiba appointed close associates to key government positions and failed to build a united party front. “Is [Takaichi] going to repeat the same mistake?” asked an LDP heavyweight, expressing concern.

LDP overhaul

In the recent reshuffle, former Policy Research Council Chairperson Koichi Hagiuda of the former Abe faction was rewarded with the key position of acting secretary general. In April 2024, Hagiuda received a one-year suspension from holding party positions for his involvement in the faction’s violation of the Political Funds Control Law. Furthermore, just this August, his policy secretary was subjected to a punishment that included a ¥300,000 fine.

Hagiuda supported Takaichi in the presidential race alongside several lawmakers close to him from the former Abe faction. “We supported her to restore our [faction’s] influence,” said a lawmaker from the faction.

Secretary General Suzuki explained the appointment of Hagiuda, who was elected in last year’s House of Representatives election, at a press conference on Tuesday, saying, “[The issue of his unreported political funds] has reached a conclusion.”

Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the LDP will be able to gain the public’s understanding with regard to appointments of lawmakers involved in the unreported funds scandal, particularly while the party is under intense scrutiny over the issue of “money in politics” and while it is vowing to “start over in a manner tantamount to breaking the party up.”

Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, was highly critical of the appointments when he spoke with reporters. “This can only be seen as the revival of the old LDP, sprinkled with the colors of Aso and Motegi,” he said. “It also brushes aside the off-the-book fund scandal as if it never happened.”