Overview
- The LDP marked its 70th anniversary as editorials pressed it to lead a more fragmented Diet where single-party majorities are unlikely.
- Polling shows a sharp gap between high approval for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet (around 70%) and lower support for the LDP itself (about 32%), with a setback in Tokyo’s Katsushika Ward election underscoring organizational strain.
- After Komeito ended its 26-year partnership, the LDP struck a deal with the Japan Innovation Party, securing nearly half the Lower House but still lacking a majority in both chambers.
- A slush-fund scandal over underreported fundraising revenue forced most factions to disband, the party’s own review admitted a loss of public trust, and only Taro Aso’s faction remains as he steps in as LDP vice president.
- Takaichi appointed lawmakers tied to the scandal to key roles even as experts question reform momentum, and she has not committed to an opposition bill to tighten political-donation rules that would route corporate money only through party headquarters and prefectural chapters.