LDP Hopeful Shinjiro Koizumi accused of being “intellectually low” at press conference announcing candidacy

By Barrier Free Japan

September 11 2024

TOKYO – At a press conference on September 6th, Shinjiro Koizumi (43), former Minister of the Environment of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced his candidacy for the LDP presidential election.

The Tokyo Shimbun reported that although he is considered one of the “favorite” candidates due to his high name recognition and ability to communicate, there are strong concerns about his ability to answer questions as prime minister, as he has made some unique statements at international conferences, such as “I will tackle climate change in a sexy way.” 

At the press conference that day, Koizumi was asked, “Doesn’t your intellectual level seem low?”

In response, Koizumi explained, “I think it’s true that I lack in many ways. It’s also true that I’m not perfect. But I will create the best team to make up for my shortcomings,” and emphasized, “In the 15 years since I was first elected, I have accumulated experience as both an opposition party and a ruling party. I would like to demonstrate that on the international stage and do my utmost to give the public a sense of security that everything is okay.”