October 5, 2025

The Liberal Democratic Party in its presidential election on October 4 chose former Economic Security Minister Takaichi Sanae as the party’s new leader. Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko later on the day when asked by the press said, “This result shows that there is no alternative for overcoming the difficult situation but to put an end to the LDP hold on politics.”

Explaining the reason, Tamura said that during her presidential election campaign, Takaichi advocated for appointing LDP politicians involved in the slush-fund scandal to government and party posts while saying nothing about the lowering of the consumption tax rate, the general public’s most earnest demand. Tamura also pointed out that the newly-elected LDP leader during the campaign took a position of maintaining the “Abenomics” economic policy and expressed her intent to go forward with military expansion and strengthening the Japan-U.S. military alliance.

Tamura said that it is highly likely that the LDP led by Takaichi will explore collaboration with its supplementary forces, the “Nippon Ishin no Kai” party and the Democratic Party for the People. She went on to say that such a move will cause a serious setback in Japan’s politics with the danger of the destruction of social welfare programs and people’s livelihoods, the runaway military buildup policy, the trampling of the Constitution and democracy, and the backlash against gender equality. Tamura said, “Opposing that dangerous move, the JCP will work hard to help Japan take a new political direction in the fields of people’s livelihoods, peace and human rights.”

Asked for her impression about the fact that Takaichi is the first female LDP president, Tamura said, “Takaichi is one of the powerful political opponents to efforts to achieve a gender equal Japan and advance women’s human rights.”

Takaichi, as a hawkish, pro-constitutional revisionist, is advocating following the legacy of the late former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. She visits the Yasukuni Shrine celebrating its role in glorifying Japan’s past war of aggression every year on August 15, the anniversary of the end of the war. She has a connection with the former Unification Church (aka Moonies) and appeared at least five times between 1994 and 2001 in the Moonies-related daily “Segye Ilbo” (The Sekai Nippo).