Newly elected Liberal Democratic Party president Shigeru Ishiba is making personnel appointments for his administration, with the intention of dissolving the House of Representatives early. Hiroshi Moriyama, chair of the LDP’s General Council, will be appointed as secretary general of the party. Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi will head the LDP Election Strategy Committee, while Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi will continue in his current role.
There are concerns about Ishiba’s support within the party, and he aims to achieve both stability and renewal with these appointments.
Ishiba stated at a Komeito convention in Tokyo on Saturday that there would be a general election within a year. He expressed his commitment to helping Komeito members win all their seats. Komeito, as the LDP’s junior coalition partner, wants to hold the next lower house election as far apart as possible from next summer’s House of Councillors election. A Komeito executive confirmed that they understand Ishiba is considering an early dissolution.
Ishiba has previously mentioned this possibility but went further on a TV program on Friday by saying “the earlier, the better.” Within the LDP, many are preparing for an election campaign that could begin on October 15th with voting taking place on October 27th – which would be the earliest possible schedule. Other possibilities being discussed include starting a campaign on October 29th and voting on November 10th depending on Diet deliberations.
Moriyama is reportedly being considered for party secretary general due to his good relations with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. He also has broad connections both within and outside of the party which makes him suitable for keeping others in check.
Another reason for appointing Moriyama is that he reportedly agrees with Ishiba’s idea of an early dissolution of the lower house.
Koizumi finished third among nine candidates in the LDP presidential election but is believed to have strong popularity among non-affiliated voters. Ishiba plans to name him head of their ruling party’s election committee because he believes Koizumi can best represent them during elections due to this popularity.
Ishiba may face difficulties realizing politics through Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office since he hasn’t held a key government position since leaving office in 2016. By retaining Hayashi as chief cabinet secretary, Ishiba may want him to handle overall coordination with government offices in order to stabilize administration management.
Hayashi has been chief cabinet secretary since December last year and is known as one of best policy experts within their party despite relatively low popularity.
