key takeaways
- As Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidates enter the leadership race, it appears that conservative and reformist candidates are more popular with both parliamentarians and rank-and-file supporters.
- With the party in crisis and the field crowded, more outspoken candidates may have an advantage, meaning the runoff could feature candidates from the party’s reformist and conservative wings instead of a mainstream compromise candidate.
- In this case, the race would highlight important policy differences in the LDP, particularly on macroeconomic policy.
Japan Foresight 