Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's appointment of party officials, with stability in mind for the presidential election?

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (Liberal Democratic Party President) reshuffled party officials with an emphasis on stability in anticipation of next fall's presidential election. There is a view that the selection of a mid-ranking person with no cabinet experience as the chairperson of the Committee on National Affairs is intended to make it easier to reflect the intentions of the Prime Minister, who has passed away as a ``dislike of the Diet.'' There were also voices of dissatisfaction within the party against this ``Takaichi style.''

Liberal Democratic Party Executive Department established; Aso, Suzuki and other members maintained

"The Liberal Democratic Party and the government will work together to overcome this difficult situation." The prime minister emphasized this at the general board meeting on the 16th, which approved personnel changes to the party's executive committee.

The biggest focus was on whether to allow Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki, the brother-in-law of Deputy Governor Taro Aso, to continue in his role. Sources reveal that the prime minister's side initially had a plan to remove Suzuki, who cannot be said to be close to the prime minister, and promote Koichi Hagiuda, acting secretary general, who is an influential member of the former Abe faction.

However, the prime minister quickly decided to retain Aso and Suzuki, who are his backers. Mr. Aso leads the only remaining faction, the Aso faction. If he can maintain that support, it will be a major stepping stone toward his re-election.

"There's no need to fight." A close aide to the prime minister acknowledged the consideration given to Mr. Aso's side.

The appointment of 46-year-old Hideki Murai, who has been elected six times, as chairman of the Committee on Relations with Nations, was perceived as a ``surprise''. This is because the Liberal Democratic Party's view is that the position should be filled by someone with cabinet experience.

During the recent special Diet session, the Prime Minister's attendance at the Budget Committee was significantly lower than in previous years. This is said to be because the prime minister did not want to spend a long time preparing his answer or face criticism from opposition parties.

At the extraordinary Diet session to be convened next month, there will be no issues such as the consumption tax reduction bill, which will be a confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties. The prime minister believes that steadily reaching a coalition government agreement with the conservative Japan Restoration Party will solidify support within the party.

As the ruling party's lead director on the House of Representatives Steering Committee, Murai criticized the opposition party's refusal to deliberate as ``outdated'' and appealed for ``improvement of efficiency.'' A senior ruling party official explained that his stance had caught the attention of the prime minister.

However, party rules stipulate that the selection of the chairman of the national relations committee is the authority of the secretary-general. When Murai's name was mentioned, Suzuki did not hide his dissatisfaction.

Mr. Murai's ability is also unknown. A person who has served as the chairman of the National Relations Committee said, ``I replaced him with someone who is more likely to listen to what he has to say.'' A party official worries that ``we won't be able to reach an agreement with the opposition parties, and we'll end up shifting blame.''