Overview

• The Liberal Democratic Party formally announced its leadership election on September 22, with five candidates submitting their bids.
• New leader selection is scheduled for October 4, with a runoff possible depending on the first-round results.
• The party holds a minority in both Diet chambers following July’s upper-house losses, putting majority-building strategies at the center of the contest.
• Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa withdrew his earlier denial of a one-time ¥20,000 payout and apologized, calling his remark inappropriate after criticism over his online comments about the prime minister’s resignation.
• Candidates outline differing approaches to near-term inflation relief, including proposals such as tax-credit schemes, changes to income thresholds, and a new living support grant, with party and prefectural votes weighted equally to lawmakers’ ballots.