Overview

• Official campaigning began Monday with five candidates—Takayuki Kobayashi, Toshimitsu Motegi, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Sanae Takaichi and Shinjiro Koizumi—delivering policy speeches at party headquarters.
• The vote will be held Oct. 4 under the full-scale method that gives 295 ballots to LDP lawmakers and 295 converted votes to rank-and-file members, with a runoff if no one wins a majority.
• Media polls place Takaichi and Koizumi in front, with Koizumi pledging wage growth above inflation and a supplementary budget as Takaichi signals stronger fiscal support.
• Takaichi vowed cabinet representation for women comparable to Nordic levels and warned against rapid immigration, while Koizumi cited illegal employment and local safety as concerns tied to foreign labor.
• Because the LDP-Komeito coalition lost majorities in both chambers, the new party leader is likely but not assured to become prime minister and will need opposition cooperation to pass legislation.