With the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Japan about a week away, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Koizumi Shinjiro appears to be drawing the most support from party lawmakers.
On the 26th, Jiji Press reported that a survey of Liberal Democratic Party members of the National Diet on their preferred candidate for the leadership election through the previous day found that lawmakers supporting Minister Koizumi of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries exceeded 20% of the total, the largest share.
Out of the 295 LDP lawmakers, an estimated 60 to 70 have indicated support for the agriculture minister, Koizumi. Koizumi also received the most votes from lawmakers in the first round of the leadership election in September last year.
Jiji Press assessed that "Minister Koizumi of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries won broad support regardless of faction, including lawmakers from the dissolved factions such as the former 'Abe faction,' the only remaining 'Aso faction,' and unaffiliated lawmakers."
The LDP leadership election combines votes from lawmakers and party members and associates. Each of the 295 lawmakers casts one vote, and party member and associate votes are tallied to total 295, equal to the lawmakers' votes. If no candidate wins a majority in the first round, the top two advance to a runoff.
Former economic security minister Takaichi Sanae, known as the "female Abe," has slightly fewer than 40 supporting lawmakers, but she is drawing the most support among party members.
According to a survey conducted by Nippon TV (NTV) on the 23rd to 24th of 1,108 LDP party members (Japanese nationals who pay party dues) and associates (members of political groups supporting the LDP), 34% of respondents backed former economic security minister Takaichi, the highest share.
Next were Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Koizumi with 28%, Minister Hayashi with 17%, former economic security minister Kobayashi with 5%, and former Secretary-General Motegi with 4%.
In Japan's parliamentary system, the ruling party leader usually serves as prime minister. The LDP is currently the largest party, but because both the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors are in a situation where the opposition holds a majority, there remains a possibility that the LDP leader will not become prime minister.