自民じみん総裁そうさい選せん 林はやし官房かんぼう長官ちょうかん 立候補りっこうほを正式せいしき表明ひょうめい「経験けいけんフルに生いかす」

Regarding the Liberal Democratic Partys presidential election to choose a successor to Prime Minister Ishiba, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi officially announced his candidacy, stating, I want to make full use of the experience I have gained in my 30 years as a member of the Diet and work for Japan.

This is Mr. Hayashis third attempt at the party leadership election.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi held a press conference at the National Diet on the afternoon of the 18th.

In this context, Mr. Hayashi said, I have supported the administration as Chief Cabinet Secretary since the latter half of the Kishida administration, and while inheriting this flow, I hope to add something new as well.

This year marks 30 years since I became a member of the National Diet.

I want to make full use of the experience I have gained and work for Japan, he said.

On top of that, he announced a policy called the Hayashi Plan, stating that it aims to create a future for Japan where everyone can have dreams, hope, and pride.

In its policies, it has set out to establish a sustained real wage increase of about 1%, create and promote a roadmap for building sustainable social security and a resilient economy toward the 2040s when the second baby boom generation will become late-stage elderly, and, in response to two consecutive defeats in national elections, has announced a rebuilding from zero for party reform.

In terms of measures against rising prices, in addition to ensuring wage increases take hold, the creation of a “Japanese version of Universal Credit” is proposed, which would mainly support low- and middle-income households while considering the combined burden of taxes and social insurance premiums. Regarding the cash benefits that the Liberal Democratic Party included in its House of Councillors election pledges, it was indicated that they would “respond flexibly,” suggesting a possible review.

Regarding how to cooperate with opposition parties, he stated, We should consider, at each moment, with whom and in what form we should work in order to realize our own policies, indicating a stance that places importance on cooperation for each individual policy.

He also expressed a cautious stance on lowering the consumption tax rate, stating that there is no situation in which the financial needs for social security are decreasing.

In addition, he expressed his willingness to review the structure of central government ministries and agencies, not ruling out the revival of the medium-sized electoral district system, and to engage in discussions between the ruling and opposition parties on reforming the House of Representatives electoral system. He also showed enthusiasm for revising the party’s platform in order to clarify the position of conservative parties.

Mr. Hayashis bid for the party leadership is his third, following previous attempts in 2012 and last year.

He is a former member of the Kishida faction, and this is his third attempt at the party leadership election, following his runs in 2012 and last year.

After graduating from the University of Tokyo, he worked at a trading company and served as a secretary to his father, Yoshiro, who was the Minister of Finance, before being elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in the 1995 election.

He was elected to the House of Councillors five times in a row, and during this period, he served as Minister of Defense, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

And then, four years ago, I resigned from my position as a member of the House of Councillors to run in the House of Representatives election from Yamaguchis 3rd district, and was elected for the first time.

In the Kishida Cabinet, after working hard as Foreign Minister on responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and organizing the G7 Hiroshima Summit, he was appointed as Chief Cabinet Secretary in December the year before last, succeeding former Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno, who resigned over issues related to political fundraising parties within his faction.

In last years party leadership election, while serving as Chief Cabinet Secretary, he campaigned and gathered support mainly from members of his former Kishida faction. However, he finished fourth out of nine candidates in the first round of voting and was defeated, unable to advance to the runoff.

Afterwards, he continued to serve as Chief Cabinet Secretary in the Ishiba Cabinet, and played a central role in handling a series of responses to the tariff measures imposed by the Trump administration in the United States.

Mr. Hayashi is known for his stable responses and is also recognized for his extensive knowledge in a wide range of policies, including economic and fiscal policy, foreign affairs and security policy, and agricultural, forestry, and fisheries administration.

In last years party leadership election, the key phrase I put forward was politics that is kind to people, politics of benevolence.

[Uncut Video] Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Candidacy Press Conference