Japan's LDP leadership race commences as eligible voting members dwindle

China

Japan's LDP leadership race commences as eligible voting members dwindle

2025-09-22 14:55 Last Updated At：09-23 00:47

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) officially launched its leadership election campaign on Monday amid a sharp decline in the number of eligible voting members.

The contenders are Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, former Economic Security Ministers Takayuki Kobayashi and Sanae Takaichi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, and former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi.

All five also ran in last year's election, which saw a record nine candidates.

The contest will focus on issues such as cooperation with opposition parties, economic measures to tackle rising prices, and rebuilding the party after successive election defeats and political funding scandals.

The election, triggered by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's announcement earlier this month that he will step down as the LDP head, will culminate in a vote on October 4. The winner is widely expected to be designated Japan's next prime minister by the Diet, given the LDP's status as the largest party -- despite the ruling bloc's recent failure to secure a parliamentary majority.

A total of 590 ballots will be cast, split evenly between the 295 Diet member votes and another 295 ballots representing party member votes. Ballots from party members will be finalized the day before lawmakers vote on October 4, after which both sets will be counted together to decide the new party leader.

Notably, significantly fewer members will be eligible to vote. According to data released Sunday by the LDP's election management committee, about 915,600 party members are eligible -- a drop of more than 140,000 from the previous leadership race.

Party insiders attribute the decline to two factors: an overall decrease in LDP membership and a new rule requiring party members to have paid dues for at least two consecutive years to qualify.

The shrinking membership base reflects broader challenges facing the LDP. Since the party was engulfed in a major "slush fund" scandal in late 2023, its ranks have thinned for two consecutive years. As of March this year, total party membership had already fallen below 1.03 million.

Spanish students say stable China-US ties benefit global economy

Spanish students have expressed their expectation that a healthy China-U.S. economic and trade relationship will inject greater stability into the global economy and create greater opportunities for Spain.

On Sunday, Chinese and U.S. delegations convened in Paris, France for talks on economic and trade issues. Guided by the consensus reached by the two heads of state in Busan and their subsequent phone talks, the two sides will conduct consultations on economic and trade matters of mutual concern.

Ahead of the talks, members of the public in Madrid, Spain, shared their views on China–U.S. economic and trade relations with China Media Group (CMG). They agreed that reaching an agreement between the world’s two largest economies would have a direct impact on the global landscape.

"They are the two countries that contribute the most economically, in a manner of speaking, to the rest of the countries. They are major importers and exporters. So I think that a satisfactory relationship between them can be very beneficial for all other countries," said Claudia, an engineering student.

Noting that both sides are important trading partners of Spain, the interviewees stated that a healthy, stable and sustainable China-U.S. economic and trade relationship also affects various aspects of the Spanish society, and that agreements between the two countries would help promote Spain's economic growth.

"I do think that it could have a certain effect on the Spanish economy, both in terms of prices, and I would dare say employment as well. Because I think that if those two great powers reach an agreement, Spain could also get in on the action. It would create quite a few jobs in Chinese and American multinationals for all Spaniards," said Claudia.

"Spain is caught in the middle; it has good relations with both the U.S. and China. If it gets on the bad side of either one, it could be hit hard, because Spain mainly relies on tourism -- well, other things too, but essentially tourism, construction and agriculture. It's very important to have more help and trade with all countries around the world," said Denis, a law student.