Minister for administrative reform, Taro Kono, answers questions from reporters at the Second Members' Office Building of the House of Representatives on Sept. 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Kan Takeuchi)

       TOKYO -- The three Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers with declared candidacies in the coming LDP presidential election -- and consequently the politicians most likely to be the next prime minister -- are taking great pains to set out their policy plans' differences from those of their competitors.

       The election will be announced on Sept. 17, with voting and ballot counting to take place Sept. 29.

       With the situation in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in mind, Fumio Kishida, 64, former chief of the party's Policy Research Council and head of the intraparty Kishida faction, proposed on Sept. 13 setting up a prime ministerial aide post in charge of human rights issues. Meanwhile, Sanae Takaichi, 60, the previous minister of internal affairs and communications and not affiliated with any faction, suggested she would continue to visit Yasukuni Shrine, and Taro Kono, 58, a member of the Aso faction and the current minister in charge of administrative reform, has emphasized his accomplishments as the minister in charge of coronavirus vaccinations.

       Fumio Kishida, the LDP's previous policy chief, explains his diplomatic and national security policies at a press conference at the First Members' Office Building of the House of Representatives on Sept. 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Kan Takeuchi)

       But the candidates have all received criticism for showing no difference in overall direction regarding their plans to steer a future administration.

       "I would like to proceed with foreign diplomacy based on the trust I built little by little during my time as the longest-serving foreign minister -- four years and eight months," Kishida said at his third policy announcement press conference, indicating his confidence in the diplomacy and national security fields.

       "As someone on the front lines when Japan and China's relationship was at its most tense, I am convinced that a firm attitude is indispensable to the national interest," he said when explaining the need for a new prime minister's aide. Regarding the capacity to attack enemy bases, Kishida said, "Even if the Aegis system were able to stop a first strike (from an enemy), we must think of what to do in a second strike. (The capacity to attack enemy bases) is a leading option."

       Kishida is floating policies that could be seen as adopting a hard line against China out of a need to appeal to the party's conservatives, including the 96-strong Hosoda faction. By showing that he will follow in the steps of "Abe diplomacy," Kishida is trying to gain the favor of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is very influential in the Hosoda faction. But because his moves are a departure from the Kishida faction's usual dovish traditions, multiple party sources have expressed the view that Kishida is acting "as if he were Abe's puppet."

       On a Sept. 12 Fuji TV program, Takaichi emphasized her role in expanding the use of pre-marriage names across society. Regarding whether she would visit the Yasukuni Shrine if she became LDP chief, she said, "The purpose of the visit is to pay our respects to those who lost their lives for our respective countries. I would like to continue making efforts to stop this being a diplomatic issue (with both China and South Korea)."

       Previous internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi announces her bid for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Sept. 8, 2021. (Mainichi/Kota Yoshida)

       Some in the LDP praise Takaichi for her easy-to-understand conservatism. But concerns exist over whether a figure like her at the party's helm will help it win votes from a wide swath of the voting population in the next House of Representatives election. Takaichi herself has said, "I can't help feeling I'm treated by television as a right-winger. I have many policies aimed at gently supporting everyday people, too."

       In an attempt to expand his share of party member votes, Kono has gone on TV and other media to highlight his achievements as minister in charge of COVID-19 vaccinations and administrative reform. On a Sept. 13 Nippon TV program, Kono announced a proposal making antigen test kits widely available for sale at drugstores and elsewhere. "I will boldly make necessary regulatory reforms as part of coronavirus countermeasures," he said.

       When reporters suggested Kono has walked back his anti-nuclear position, he countered, saying, "In the past 20-plus years, what I have been saying has not changed. Japan's reactors have an operating lifespan of about 40 years, 60 years if the period is extended. The proportion of energy nuclear power produces will gradually decrease, and eventually reach zero." On Sept. 11, he emphasized to reporters that the nuclear fuel cycle policy that recycles spent nuclear fuel "would ultimately be abolished."

       Meanwhile, Kishida, who is pushing for Japan's nuclear reactors to resume operations, said, "If the nuclear fuel cycle is stopped, it will become difficult to even continue operating reactors functioning now," effectively showing the LDP's pro-nuclear wing that he is in the party's mainstream on nuclear policy.

       (Japanese original by Hiroshi Odanaka, Shu Hatakeyama and Kazuhiko Hori, Political News Department)

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