Sanae Takaichi is the general public’s preferred candidate in the leadership race of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, but Shinjiro Koizumi is the most popular among party supporters, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.

The official campaign kicked off on Sept. 22 for the Oct. 4 election, in which only LDP lawmakers, party members and certain supporters can vote.

The self-identified LDP supporters in the survey may or may not have voting rights in the presidential election.

Survey respondents were asked which of the five candidates would be most suitable as LDP president.

Overall, 28 percent chose Takaichi, a former economic security minister.

Koizumi followed, selected by 24 percent of all respondents.

Nine percent chose Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 5 percent picked Takayuki Kobayashi, another former economic security minister, and 4 percent selected Toshimitsu Motegi, former LDP secretary-general.

Twenty-five percent picked “none of the five.”

Among LDP supporters in the survey, Koizumi led with 41 percent, followed by Takaichi at 24 percent, Hayashi at 10 percent, Motegi at 8 percent, and Kobayashi 3 percent.

Eleven percent of party supporters picked “none of the five.”

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is also LDP president, announced his resignation on Sept. 7. He was under pressure to step down over the party’s election losses in both Diet chambers.

The most common reason for choosing Takaichi as most suitable for new party president is that “political reform can be expected,” cited by 53 percent.

Fifty-one percent picked Koizumi for the same reason. The reform reason was also cited by most of those who selected Kobayashi.

For Hayashi and Motegi, the most common reason for choosing them was “experience and achievements.”

The second most cited reason for picking Takaichi was she “has good policies and principles” (25 percent). For Koizumi, it was he “has good character and image” (34 percent). 

The issue that respondents most want the new LDP president to address is “rising prices,” at 45 percent, followed by social security at 16 percent, diplomacy and security at 15 percent, the politics-and-money issue at 10 percent, and policy on foreign residents at 10 percent. 

Among respondents who picked Koizumi as most suitable for LDP chief, 55 percent cited rising prices as the most important issue. The rate for this issue was 40 percent among those who named Takaichi, Hayashi, Kobayashi or Motegi.

For those who chose Takaichi, the next most pressing issue was “policy on foreign residents,” cited by 20 percent.

LDP members have said there is an urgent need to win back conservative voters who now support Sanseito or the Democratic Party for the People.

Among self-identified Sanseito supporters in the survey, about 70 percent chose Takaichi as best suited for the LDP’ top post. Among self-identified DPP supporters, about 50 percent picked Takaichi.

Takaichi was also the most popular among younger respondents in the survey, gaining around 40 percent of picks from those aged 18 to 49.

Koizumi gained the most support among respondents in their 60s and older.

Among the 58 percent of respondents who said they “tend to be interested in politics,” 30 percent feel Takaichi would be best as the new LDP leader, followed by Koizumi at 23 percent. 

Among the 38 percent of respondents who said they “tend not to be interested in politics,” 27 percent each picked Takaichi and Koizumi as most suitable.

When asked whether the new LDP leader should pursue an investigation into the unreported funds scandal at party factions, 68 percent said it should be pursued, while 27 percent said it is unnecessary. 

In a survey in January this year, 70 percent of respondents said an investigation should be pursued, while 22 percent said it was not needed. 

According to the latest survey, 26 percent of respondents said they expect the LDP to “change” under a new president, compared with 68 percent who expect no change regardless of who is in charge.

With the ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito now lacking a majority in both houses of the Diet, 77 percent of respondents said the coalition should place greater emphasis on the opposition parties’ opinions, significantly exceeding the 15 percent who said it would be better not to.

Twenty percent of overall respondents said “it would be better to expand the coalition” by adding other parties, while 68 percent said “it would be better to seek cooperation from opposition parties on a policy-by-policy basis.”

These figures were almost unchanged from the previous survey conducted in August.

When asked which opposition party they most want to see join an expanded coalition, 23 percent of respondents chose the DPP (23 percent in the August survey), 18 percent picked the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (17 percent), and 17 percent pointed to Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) (15 percent).

Party support rates were: 26 percent for the LDP (20 percent in the August survey); 8 percent for Sanseito (9 percent); 7 percent for the DPP (10 percent); 5 percent for the CDP (5 percent); 2 percent for Nippon Ishin (4 percent); 2 percent for Komeito (3 percent); 2 percent for Reiwa Shinsengumi (3 percent); 2 percent for the Japanese Communist Party (3 percent); 1 percent for the Conservative Party of Japan (2 percent); 1 percent for the Social Democratic Party (zero percent); and zero percent for Team Mirai (1 percent).

The survey was conducted on Sept. 20 and 21 using the random digit dialing method, in which interviewers call computer-generated phone numbers on both landlines and mobile phones.

Among households with eligible voters, 432 people responded via landline (44 percent response rate) and 744 via mobile phones (41 percent response rate), for a total of 1,176 valid responses.