Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been spending more time socializing with senior ruling party members over lunches and dinners in recent months, in an apparent overture to ease internal dissatisfaction with her leadership style, according to reporting from Kyodo News and the Asahi Shimbun.
The increased socializing came after Takaichi’s surprise decision to call a snap election earlier this year and her push to have the fiscal 2026 state budget enacted on time despite the tight parliamentary schedule. These moves apparently ruffled feathers among some ruling Liberal Democratic Party members, particularly those in the House of Councillors, who negotiated with an angry opposition over the budget.
Takaichi is known to have long eschewed the culture of sharing a table with fellow lawmakers—a traditional Japanese political practice. But daily records compiled by Kyodo News show a marked shift: the number of working meals involving Takaichi and senior party officials in about two months since April already surpassed the five confirmed over the preceding five months.
In late May, Takaichi dined with Junichi Ishii, secretary general of the LDP in the upper house and someone seen as on poor terms with the prime minister. Ishii had led the establishment of a group comprising dozens of LDP upper house members, a move that fueled speculation he wanted to show his influence to counter the administration. At the dinner at her official residence, Takaichi shared personal stories with Ishii, and they exchanged gifts of cosmetics and soap, signaling improving ties between the two, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
Following the April 7 budget enactment, Takaichi had treated senior LDP members of the upper house to dinner at her official residence, thanking them for working to lay the groundwork for its parliamentary approval. She has also had lunch with LDP Vice President Taro Aso and Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki at her office twice since April, and invited senior members of other parties and the co-leader of junior coalition partner Nippon Ishin for lunch.
“The prime minister had not been aware of the growing rifts,” a source close to her told Kyodo News, referring to friction between Takaichi and LDP lawmakers in the House of Councillors. The ruling coalition of the LDP and Japan Innovation Party does not hold a majority in the upper house, making opposition support critical for passing budgets and bills—a different situation from the more powerful House of Representatives, where the coalition secured a supermajority following the February general election.
The increased socializing comes as the current Diet session enters its final weeks and Takaichi’s ability to get wider backing in the ruling coalition for divisive agenda items is in focus, including an envisaged law to penalize desecration of the Japanese flag and another to cut lawmaker numbers. Takaichi has enjoyed relatively solid public support since becoming premier last October, but members within her own party remain critical of her high-handed political approach. A source at the prime minister’s office indicated Takaichi is expected to continue having shared meals.
Sources
- Kyodo News — Prime Minister Takaichi’s increased socializing with senior party members, dinner with Junichi Ishii, working meal data, and internal party tensions
- The Mainichi — Takaichi’s outreach to ease internal dissatisfaction, details of dinners and gift exchanges with Ishii, and party member reactions
- The Asahi Shimbun — Takaichi’s shift away from eschewing traditional wine-and-dine politics, dinner meetings with upper house executives, and her increased engagement with party officials
