LDP presidential candidates beef up social media activity

Candidates in the upcoming presidential election for the Liberal Democratic Party are doing their best to win the votes of the LDP’s rank-and-file members and the members of affiliated groups. Some are actively using social media to that end, as the pandemic has limited candidates’ ability to appeal directly to these crucial voters.

The rank-and-file votes will be converted into the same number of ballots as those cast by LDP Diet members, giving them a significant impact on the outcome of the election.

Voting by lawmakers will take place on Sept. 29, but other party members were sent ballots on Friday, for submission by Sept. 28.

A total of 1,104,336 rankand-file party members are eligible to vote. Many of them are expected to fill in their ballots and mail them back as soon as they receive them, so the various campaigns see the next few days as critical and are stepping up their efforts accordingly.

The campaign of Taro Kono, the administrative and regulatory reform minister, has set up a Twitter account dedicated to the presidential election, announcing the schedule for his speeches and TV appearances. In one week, it topped 150,000 followers.

On Friday, Kono posted a video in which he expressed his resolve. Working in cooperation with former LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba and Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Kono is hoping to gain a large lead over other candidates in the rank-and-file vote.

Fumio Kishida, a former chairperson of the LDP Policy Research Council, received only 7.1% of rank-and-file votes in the last presidential election. This time, he was the first to announce his candidacy, and will make extensive visits to businesses and organizations in Tokyo to seek support for his “new Japanese capitalism,” which emphasizes distribution.

A senior member of the Kishida faction said, “It’s significant that we’ve received the full support of the Keidanren (Japan Business Federation). Over the weekend, the campaign will push forward with a telephone campaign.”

Sanae Takaichi, a former Internal Affairs and Communications minister, is actively using the internet. On Saturday, 500 “Sanae Towels,” which she used at a campaign rally, sold out online in 35 minutes.

Before kicking off her campaign, Takaichi appeared on a number of online programs and began using Twitter again. She seems to be gaining support from conservative voters, and her campaign is garnering a positive response online.

LDP Executive Acting Secretary General Seiko Noda, who went public with her candidacy the day before the election was announced, is hoping to take advantage of her late start and appeal to the public with her freshness.

She updates her blog and Twitter page daily with photos of herself and her eldest son, who requires medical care, and stresses the importance of her policies for children.

Diet members and others in Noda’s campaign are also calling on local party members in Gifu, her powerbase, to support her through phone calls and postcards. A senior member of the campaign stressed that it is important to convey her personality and thoughts. (Sept. 20)