Taiwan's Changhua National University professor Li Qize pointed out that the reason why the health issues of Takahashi Asako have been magnified is not merely a case of personal privacy violation, but rather a sensitive nerve in the power succession within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). In the October 2025 presidential election, Takahashi defeated Koizumi Shinjiro with 185 votes to 156 in the final round. Hayashi Yoshimasa came third with 134 votes. The three candidates represented completely different paths: Takahashi advocated for a strong security and economic security approach; Koizumi favored a new generation's path of deepening U.S.-Japan alliance and Indo-Pacific narrative; while Hayashi emphasized stability in Sino-Japanese trade and multilateral coordination. If Takahashi's authority is damaged due to health issues, the debate over policy directions will resurface, and Japan's security policy may shift from "high-intensity military normalization" to a mixed model of "security enhancement plus economic adjustment."
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857262384457736/
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