September 12, 2025
TOKYO – Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is closely watching whether the candidates lining up to succeed him as Liberal Democratic Party president will carry on his priority policies.
Although Ishiba expects policies to revitalize regional areas and plans to establish a disaster prevention and management agency will move ahead even after he leaves his post, he believes the selection of a candidate with a different political stance could change the direction of the administration.
On Wednesday, LDP Policy Research Council Chairperson Itsunori Onodera and other LDP lawmakers delivered a written request regarding the government’s handling of frequent torrential rain to Ishiba at the Prime Minister’s Office. “The government will do whatever it can,” Ishiba responded. “I’d like to come up with a definite plan as soon as possible.”
Although Ishiba announced Sunday that he will step down, he told close aides that he “has unfinished business.” In addition to promoting policies as much as possible until the next LDP president is picked, Ishiba is also determined to have his successor take over his signature policies.
At the press conference at which he announced he would resign, Ishiba mentioned policies including establishing an agency that would become a control tower for responses to disasters and agricultural policy reforms that would boost rice production. “The next administration must carry on these policies, no matter what,” Ishiba insisted.
Ishiba also revealed disappointment that his efforts for regional revitalization had not been completed.
As the presidential election approaches, Ishiba is pinning his hopes on cabinet ministers that have supported him. Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who many believe will enter the race, has been in tune with Ishiba’s intentions since Koizumi’s appointment in May. Koizumi rapidly undertook a series of measures including releasing rice from government stockpiles.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also has been a mainstay of the Ishiba administration and backed the prime minister in a broad array of issues including tariff negotiations with the United States and the responses to various disasters. A government source said, “The prime minister has high expectations that either of those two would likely carry on in the direction set by the Ishiba administration.”
Ishiba also is becoming sensitive about ensuring continuity on the diplomatic front. In August, Ishiba held talks with visiting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and trumpeted the improvement in Tokyo-Seoul ties.
If Sanae Takaichi, a former minister in charge of economic security who has indicated her desire to enter the LDP race, were to hold a position that placed her in charge of Japan’s diplomacy, Ishiba has concerns that her conservative views could set back Japan’s relationships with South Korea and China.
Takayuki Kobayashi, another former minister in charge of economic security who is considering throwing his hat in the ring, said during the LDP presidential election in September 2024 that establishing a disaster prevention and management agency was unnecessary. “Given his position, the prime minister can’t specifically say which candidate he supports,” a close aide to Ishiba said. “However, he’s carefully watching the assertions each candidate is making.”