Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers are set to launch a new group to support Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the party president, with Vice President Taro Aso playing a central role, several party officials said.<\/p>\n
The ruling party lawmakers will be invited to join the group on May 7.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alongside Aso, the founding members will include Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, and Policy Research Council Chairman Takayuki Kobayashi. All three ran against Takaichi in last autumn’s LDP leadership race.<\/p>\n
The group will be called the national power study group, or JiB. The name comes from a book published by Sankei Shimbun Publishing in August 2024, based on the work of the Nippon no Chikara Study Group that Takaichi launched in November 2023.<\/p>\n
JiB is short for “Japan Is Back,” the slogan Takaichi used during the LDP presidential race.<\/p>\n
Rallying the Ranks<\/p>\n
The group plans to hold its first meeting on May 21. US Ambassador to Japan George Glass is expected to be invited as a guest speaker. The Prime Minister will not be in attendance.<\/p>\n
In its founding statement, the group stressed that “the government and the ruling party must work as one to deliver on the promises made to the public.” It further stated the group will “strongly support” the administration’s vision by promoting policy research among like-minded lawmakers and coordinating closely with the government.<\/p>\n
The move comes as new groups are emerging one after another inside the LDP, while former factions have also stepped up their activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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(Left to right) LDP Election Strategy Committee Chair Keiji Furuya, General Council Chair Haruko Arimura, Vice President Taro Aso, President Sanae Takaichi, Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki, and Policy Research Council Chair Takayuki Kobayashi. October 7, 2025, at LDP headquarters (\u00a9Sankei\/Ataru Haruna).<\/p>\n
Takaichi already has her own support group, but it has not yet brought in a broad range of party forces. Her intraparty base remains far from secure.<\/p>\n
At the same time, both the Prime Minister’s Office and the LDP have been consumed by immediate political challenges such as the Middle East conflict. That has left few opportunities to discuss broader issues in depth, including constitutional reform, the Imperial Household Law, and Japan’s strategies toward the US and China.<\/p>\n
“If the gap between the Prime Minister\u2019s Office and the party widens, anti-Takaichi forces could emerge within the LDP,” one founding member said. “We need a forum where the party can better understand the policies the Prime Minister’s Office is pursuing and move as one to advance them.”<\/p>\n
Signal to Rivals<\/p>\n
According to party officials, Aso’s role as a founder helped secure the participation of Motegi, Koizumi, and Kobayashi. Yoshimasa Hayashi, the minister of internal affairs and communications, was not approached. Hayashi has made it clear that he is interested in running in next year’s LDP presidential election.<\/p>\n
Takaichi is said to be closely watching another group recently formed by Junichi Ishii, the LDP’s Upper House secretary-general. But its founders include Masaji Matsuyama, who heads the party’s Upper House caucus\u2014a move that appears partly aimed at keeping Ishii in check.<\/p>\n
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Author: Takashi Arimoto, The Sankei Shimbun\u00a0<\/p>\n