Overview

• Five contenders laid out contrasting strategies for governing without majorities, with Shinjiro Koizumi and Toshimitsu Motegi favoring a broader ruling bloc and Yoshimasa Hayashi and Takayuki Kobayashi urging caution.
• Sanae Takaichi voiced support for forming a coalition with parties sharing core policies, underscoring how cross-party alignment has become central to the race.
• At a public debate, candidates diverged on policies toward foreigners: Kobayashi argued for minimal reliance on foreign labor, Motegi vowed to target zero illegal residents, and Takaichi called for deporting bogus asylum seekers and curbing land purchases.
• Koizumi proposed placing immigration oversight under the prime minister with an action plan by year’s end, while Hayashi backed gradual, needs-based acceptance over the long term.
• On constitutional revision, multiple candidates prioritized explicitly stating the Self-Defense Forces, as others floated changes such as an emergency clause or upper-house seat adjustments, and several aligned with opposition calls to end the provisional gasoline tax to foster cooperation.