Overview

• Former LDP secretary-general Toshimitsu Motegi pledged to revive the party and Japan’s economy within two years, highlighting his diplomatic and economic credentials.
• Karen Makishima resigned as Shinjiro Koizumi’s PR lead after emails urged supporters to post scripted praise on videos, with her office conceding excessive wording and poor oversight.
• Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi moved to contain backlash after remarks questioning a pledged ¥20,000 payment and commenting on the prime minister’s resignation necessity.
• Factional strains deepened as Junichi Ishii criticized Hirofumi Shimomura’s selection as Tokyo 11th district branch head citing ex-accountant testimony, and Koichi Hagiuda publicly endorsed Sanae Takaichi for party leader.
• Accountability pressures grew locally as Nanjo’s city council passed a no-confidence motion against Mayor Kageharu Koja after third-party harassment findings, while in Ginan a former mayor found to have committed 99 acts of sexual harassment began a term as town councilor.