LDP SENSES OPPORTUNITY: YOSANO MAY CHALLENGE ASO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 002443 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2018 TAGS: PGOV ECON JA SUBJECT: LDP SENSES OPPORTUNITY: YOSANO MAY CHALLENGE ASO REF: TOKYO 2416 Classified By: CDA James P. Zumwalt, reasons 1.4(b),(d). ¶1. (C) Summary. In the aftermath of Prime Minister Fukuda's surprise resignation, there is cautious optimism in the LDP that their political fortunes may be improving. In contrast, there are worries in the DPJ that the LDP will use the September 22 LDP presidential election to cast the DPJ's "one-man show" under Ozawa in an unfavorable light, by highlighting the ruling party's diversity of views and abundance of leadership talent. The LDP presidential race will feature multiple candidates and an all-out publicity campaign. The DPJ is struggling to find a way to stay on the front pages when its own leadership election has already been decided and the Diet is out of session. Two public opinion polls published on September 4 demonstrate Taro Aso's popular appeal, as well as a jump in support for the LDP at the expense of the DPJ. However, an anti-Aso movement is underway within the LDP. Kaoru Yosano, a widely respected senior politician and economic expert, has emerged as a credible challenger to Aso, and others are expected to join the LDP race soon. The party election at this point remains anybody's game. End Summary. ¶2. (C) "The building is full of energy," a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) insider with over twenty years of service at party headquarters told the Embassy on September 4, regarding the mood in her office just days after Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's sudden announcement that he plans to step down. Fukuda's resignation is "a ray of sunshine in the midst of a torrential downpour" for the LDP, she added, and party leaders know that they must make the most of this opportunity to draw public and media attention away from the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) by playing up the LDP presidential race scheduled for September 22. An unnamed DPJ executive quoted in the press expressed concern that the DPJ could be "submerged" by all the attention lavished on the LDP if it does not find a way to get its own message out. Numerous DPJ contacts have indicated that they are far from optimistic about the party's chances in the next election, the timing of which remains uncertain. ¶3. (C) The LDP's goal now is to contrast "democracy in action," in the shape of the party presidential election, with Ichiro Ozawa's uncontested "re-election" as DPJ leader, which is expected to occur on September 8. Referring to the possibility that there may be a number of LDP candidates contesting the election, "It is better to have more people in the pilothouse than to let the ship sink," an LDP contact asserted. She stressed that the party's factions, while not the kingmakers they have been in the past, will work cooperatively to ensure that multiple candidates are each able to amass the minimum number of twenty supporters required to run. ¶4. (C) Several Embassy contacts have confirmed reports that LDP Diet members will be "voting their conscience." Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who still wields considerable influence within the LDP, has encouraged all interested candidates to enter the race, even long-shots, such as Ichita Yamamoto, Taro Kono, and Masazumi Gotoda. Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike, and former LDP policy chief Nobuteru Ishihara have also gone public with their interest in running. Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano has already announced and filed his candidacy. Regardless of who runs in the end, the LDP election continues to be about economic and fiscal policy, as reflected by the buzzwords that the press have associated with the major candidates, including "pump-priming" for Aso, "fiscal discipline" for Yosano, and "structural reform" for Koike. As a high-ranking LDP member told the Charge recently, however, none of the candidates is likely to get elected without compromising on his or her policy goals. ¶5. (C) Press accounts, polling and some Embassy and constituent post LDP contacts consider LDP Secretary General TOKYO 00002443 002 OF 002 Taro Aso to be a strong candidate based on his broad government experience and popular appeal. In a Kyodo public opinion poll conducted September 2-3, over 35 percent of respondents selected Aso from a group of ten LDP politicians as the most "appropriate" choice for Prime Minister. Of the most likely current candidates, Koike ranked third, at 9.2 percent, with Ishihara at 7.1 percent. In terms of overall public support for the two parties, over 38 percent of the poll's respondents said they would vote LDP in the next general election, compared to fewer than 35 percent for the DPJ. Respondents favored an LDP-led coalition over a DPJ-led coalition 43.3 percent to 41.7 percent, a 15 percent turnaround since August. In an Asahi survey that asked whom respondents would like to see become Prime Minister, without regard to party and without providing a multiple-choice list of names, Aso still came out first, at 30 percent, with Ozawa at only 8 percent and Koike barely registering 3 percent. Support for the LDP outpaced support for the DPJ in the Asahi poll as well, by 29 percent to 21 percent, despite wide dissatisfaction with the party over Fukuda's resignation. ¶6. (C) Aso is believed to enjoy a strong lead in the LDP prefectural chapters, which will be granted three votes each to apportion as they please, despite recent calls from mostly younger LDP lawmakers to include additional votes for local rank-and-file members. Aso's appeal, particularly in areas where the economy is struggling, is based on his advocacy for economic revitalization through public spending, including his flexibility in allocating public works funding based on local conditions, according to reporting from constituent posts. At the same time, Aso has many detractors within the party, and concerns remain about possible money and other scandals that have touched him in the past. An anti-Aso campaign is underway, and a number of party heavyweights are seeking to bolster the candidacies of Yosano and Koike. At this point, as in September 2007, Aso's early lead could evaporate. The LDP election remains anybody's game. ¶7. (C) Regarding possible general election timing, the current thinking within the LDP is to convene the fall Diet session right after the LDP election, pass the supplementary budget -- which includes a healthy dose of pork-barrel spending, contrary to previous government pledges to achieve primary balance fiscal consolidation targets by 2011 -- and then dissolve the Lower House immediately for an early November general election. This scenario not only allows the LDP to capitalize on the momentum from its leadership election, but also meets the requirement of junior coalition partner Komeito to avoid embarrassing Diet testimony by party and Soka Gakkai critics by keeping the fall session short. Some Embassy contacts have remarked, however, that if Yosano wins on September 22, dissolution could be delayed significantly, possibly leaving more time for the fall session. ZUMWALT