Toru Hashimoto, new president, last-minute prediction for Shinjiro: “Mr. Yoshimura and Mr. Koizumi will stand together in Japan’s new politics…”

　Lawyer Toru Hashimoto, 56, appeared on MBS TV’s “Seyanen! on MBS TV on April 4. He talked about the LDP presidential election to be held in the afternoon of the same day. Yoshimura, whose name was mentioned by Hashimoto, said of the five candidates, “Everyone is talking about revitalizing the LDP, but for us, revitalization of the LDP is not important. All of the candidates have removed all of their edgy arguments in order to get through the presidential election. This makes me wonder if nothing will change no matter who becomes president,” he complained. Hashimoto seems to be fed up with the fact that he is suppressing his own personality and beliefs in order to gain support within the party and among party members, or to curry favor with the opposition parties with a view to forming a coalition. It’s time for the people to choose the leader of Japan,” Hashimoto said. Otherwise, all the edgy arguments will disappear. At election time, I trust people who say things that will be opposed by the people. But this time, no one will say it,” he pointed out. When political journalist Kazuaki Takeda was asked about his prediction for the new president, he evaded the question, saying, “I won’t say, because we will find out in the afternoon anyway,” and limited himself to saying, “The key is Aso’s group. Hashimoto predicted, “If it comes down to a runoff between Koizumi-san and Takaichi-san, it will probably be Koizumi-san. If Mr. Koizumi is chosen, he will probably team up with Mr. Yoshimura, the leader of the Japan Restoration Association. There are many (LDP) members who are betting on the stability of a majority government. If Koizumi comes to power, Mr. Yoshimura will probably join him,” he added with his own information. He then predicted that the new president would be “Mr. Koizumi. He said he hoped that Mr. Yoshimura and Mr. Koizumi would stand together and move toward a new political system in Japan, which would be the first step. He added, “If you look around the world, leaders in their 40s are quite common. Experience is important, but the most important thing is energy.