Toshimitsu Motegi: Ex-Foreign Minister and LDP Stalwart Eyes Japan’s Top Job

Speedy Summary

• Former Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi announced his candidacy for the Liberal democratic Party (LDP) presidential election after Shigeru Ishiba resigned as Japan’s Prime Minister.
• Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and other contenders, including former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi and Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, are expected to join the race.
• Motegi, aged 69, is currently the LDP Secretary-General and previously served as Japan’s Foreign Minister from 2019 to 2021.
• Ishiba stepped down following poor electoral results in July’s House of Councillors elections. The LDP leadership race timeline and format will be finalized soon. The winner will become Japan’s next prime minister due to LDP’s parliamentary majority.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The unfolding leadership contest within Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party comes at a critical juncture for both domestic politics and geopolitical stability in Asia-Pacific. From an Indian outlook, Toshimitsu Motegi’s prior role as Foreign Minister saw strengthened diplomacy with India during his tenure, especially amid heightened regional trade partnerships like RCEP negotiations-though India eventually chose not to join this pact for strategic reasons.

If elected prime minister, Motegi’s pragmatic approach could contribute positively towards closer ties between India and Japan by leveraging shared interests in economic growth infrastructure projects such as “Asia-Africa Growth Corridor.” However, the eventual outcome of this leadership contest depends heavily on intra-party dynamics in Japan-a process that remains inherently disconnected from short-term impacts on bilateral relations with India.

Read More