As the drama unfolds in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, one group has a particularly heavy stake in the outcomes: Japan’s opposition parties.
While hardly monolithic, the opposition has a reason to coalesce in the coming weeks with the Lower House election forthcoming. They are currently formulating strategies to erode the ruling LDP-Komeito coalition’s supermajority in the Lower House, but that will prove difficult without knowing who their principal opponent will be. Will it be the reform-minded vaccine czar Taro Kono or former internal affairs minister Seiko Noda; the establishment favorite Fumio Kishida; or the right wing’s new champion, Sanae Takaichi?
Each candidate brings different risks and opportunities for the opposition parties. There are certainly individuals the opposition would rather face than others. Understanding why is important, because LDP politicians are also vetting the same thing as they consider who they choose to lead them through the upcoming Lower House election.