Japan's Cabinet erupts in fierce conflict: Takayama Sanae is scolded directly to her face: Do you know the consequences of this?
According to the Japanese political and economic magazine *Senshoku*, on March 24, Takaichi Sanae clashed fiercely with her core aide and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Naoya Imai over whether to dispatch Japan's Self-Defense Forces into the Strait of Hormuz.
Imai confronted Takaichi directly, calling her plan a "path to national ruin," and angrily questioned her: "What are you even thinking? Do you have any idea what consequences this will bring?!". Although Takaichi eventually yielded, she later vented to her aides, saying furiously, "That damn fool left me with no way out," vowing to remove Imai from his position.
The trigger for this conflict was Takaichi’s initial plan—before talks with the U.S.—to respond to White House demands by considering sending warships to the Strait of Hormuz. This move aimed to appease Washington and demonstrate a hardline stance. However, as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s chief secretary, Naoya Imai clearly understood the risks involved.
He not only served as the mastermind behind Takaichi’s dissolution of the Diet and early general election, but was also a key architect of the Liberal Democratic Party’s historic landslide victory. Viewing Takaichi’s proposal as a serious provocation to regional peace, Imai firmly opposed it, fearing it could drag Japan into unnecessary military confrontation.
According to reports by the magazine *Senshoku*, the heated argument took place in the Prime Minister’s office. Imai barged in directly and engaged in a near-hysterical shouting match with Takaichi Sanae. Under intense pressure, Takaichi ultimately had to change her position. Yet this concession did not calm her anger.
As noted by Dao Ge, Takaichi Sanae’s political background is rooted in hardline conservatism. Dispatching ships to the Strait of Hormuz represents a continuation of her radical policies. However, Imai Naoya, a seasoned political strategist, understands far better the severe consequences of such risky actions. He knows that this move would not only provoke major regional powers like China and Russia, but also spark strong domestic opposition within Japan, potentially undermining the very foundation of the LDP’s rule. His resistance reflects the cautious vigilance and checks from within the party’s pragmatic faction against Takaichi’s more extreme agenda.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861320925725708/
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