Photo/Illutration Fumio Kishida, center, poses with newly appointed executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Oct. 4. (Toshiyuki Hayashi)

Fumio Kishida’s rise to the top represents a return to the status quo of the prime minister’s post being held by a lawmaker who has benefitted from a hereditary transfer of power.

Kishida is a third-generation lawmaker, whose grandfather and father both served as Lower House members.

It is a return to the familiar from his predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, one of few “up-from-the-ranks” politicians to claim the ultimate post within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

In fact, Suga has been the only LDP prime minister in the past 20 years who did not ride on his parents’ coattails.

Five other LDP prime ministers over the past two decades succeeded their parents for their legislative seats.

In Japan, becoming a Diet member generally requires three “ban”—jiban (constituency), kanban (name recognition) and kaban (money).

Those with all three political assets passed down from their parents are already far ahead of the starting line.

When a parent has served a major post in an administration or a party, his or her heir will likely be recognized as a “future leader,” even when they are still a relative newbie in Nagatacho.

This was on full display in Kishida’s first task as party president on Oct. 1, when he filled many senior LDP positions with lawmakers who started their political careers with three ban.

Kishida’s father, Fumitake, was distantly related to Kiichi Miyazawa, a former prime minister.

Young Kishida joined a political faction called “Kochikai,” which was led by Miyazawa.

Members quickly recognized Kishida as a “prince.”

The group has since been renamed after its prince, Kishida, who became the faction leader.

Kishida’s electoral district in Hiroshima Prefecture is also the hometown of Hayato Ikeda, a former prime minister who originally established the faction, which has historically had clout in the prefecture.

The current tradition of political dynasties among LDP prime ministers appears to have started with Junichiro Koizumi, who was the prime minister for five years starting in 2001.

Like Koizumi, his successors—Shinzo Abe, Yasuo Fukuda and Taro Aso—have all inherited their fathers’ electoral districts.

Moreover, Abe and Aso both have a grandfather who served as prime minister, Nobusuke Kishi and Shigeru Yoshida, respectively.

Among those newly appointed by Kishida to the party’s senior positions, Tatsuo Fukuda stands out for having his political support handed down from within his family.

His father is Yasuo Fukuda, a former prime minister. And his grandfather, Takeo, was also prime minister.

Tatsuo Fukuda is currently serving his third term and is relatively young in a party full of old guards. Still, he was promoted to chairman of the General Council of the party.

Kishida named Yuko Obuchi as chief of the Party Organization and Campaign Headquarters. Obuchi is famously a daughter of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who inherited his seat from his father, Mitsuhei.

Kishida appointed Akira Amari to the post of party secretary-general. He is also a second-generation politician.

In recent years, Yoshiro Mori and Suga have been the only ones who worked their way up within the LDP on their own to become prime minister.

But Mori’s father and grandfather were also town mayors.

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