Key Facts
• September 15, 2025: Aoyama Shigeharu criticizes LDP leadership race on Kansai TV.
• 20 parliamentary endorsements required for candidacy reflect old factions and corporate influence.
• Aoyama labels the race as an ‘Old-Fashioned Leadership Election.’
• Candidates include Toshimitsu Motegi, Shinjiro Koizumi, Sanae Takaichi, Takayuki Kobayashi, and Yoshimasa Hayashi.
• Aoyama claims endorsements are not based on party members’ will but on external organizations.
• He highlights the dominance of support groups like agricultural cooperatives and postal unions.
• Aoyama notes his four-year streak as top party member recruiter but criticizes lack of transparency.
• He argues for reforms to reflect party members’ input in candidate selection.
• Aoyama emphasizes the need to prioritize party member votes over outdated systems.
• He accuses the process of perpetuating stagnant political and economic cycles.
Summary
Aoyama Shigeharu, a member of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), criticized the current leadership race as outdated and unrepresentative of party members’ will. Speaking on Kansai TV on September 15, 2025, he labeled the process an ‘Old-Fashioned Leadership Election,’ highlighting the influence of old factions and corporate support groups in determining candidates. Aoyama pointed out that the 20 parliamentary endorsements required for candidacy often reflect external organizations’ interests rather than those of party members. He also noted his four-year streak as the top recruiter of party members, criticizing the lack of transparency in publishing these figures. Aoyama called for reforms to prioritize party member votes and reduce reliance on outdated systems, which he claims perpetuate political and economic stagnation. Key candidates in the race include Toshimitsu Motegi, Shinjiro Koizumi, Sanae Takaichi, Takayuki Kobayashi, and Yoshimasa Hayashi.
