Koizumi Promises Snap Election If Elected LDP Leader

Earlier on 6 September, former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi formally announced his candidacy for the leadership of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He also made the headline-grabbing declaration that if he wins he will hold a snap general election.

• Koizumi: “I want to make major reforms within a year...Japan’s labour market reforms have fallen behind...We should have created a job market that’s more vibrant.” He also pledged to hold a referendum on constitutional reform if he takes office.
• Koizumi is seen as one of the frontrunners to succeed incumbent LDP leader and PM Fumio Kishida in the 27 September leadership election. Opinion polling shows that his main competition is former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba.
• Bloomberg: "On economic policies, Koizumi said he’ll largely follow Kishida’s trajectory, suggesting that he won’t put pressure on the Bank of Japan to change its normalization path, or make major changes on the fiscal policy front. He said he’d like to quicken the pace of wage hikes, and also make use of energy sources that are available. He said that restarting nuclear reactors is an option."
• Ishiba (67) is viewed as the 'insiders' choice, with long-standing links to the LDP establishment having served in the National Diet since 1986. Koizumi (43) is considered a more popular choice among the electorate. The breakdown in party factions following a slush fund scandal may have made internal LDP support increasingly fluid, making the outcome more unpredictable than those in the past.