Overview

• Kyodo’s polling of LDP chapters found six prefectures—Yamagata, Ibaraki, Saitama, Kagawa, Ehime and Miyazaki—have decided to request moving up the leadership election, with Gifu opposing and most others still undecided.
• The party’s election management committee has judged an accelerated vote to be a de facto recall and will enforce strict verification, including disclosing the names of lawmakers who formally support the move.
• The committee is set to issue a notice to Diet members and local organizations after the Sept. 2 joint meeting, kicking off intent confirmations with an early-September deadline.
• LDP Secretary-General Yu Moriyama acknowledged responsibility for recent defeats and cautioned that diverging from broader public opinion would be dangerous, citing surveys showing little demand for the prime minister to resign now.
• Some cabinet members have signaled they would quit to press for acceleration, prompting pushback from Prime Minister Ishiba’s camp and Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who said officials must carry out their duties or expect consequences.