Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, the object of recent sexist remarks, has suddenly gained public support as the person most suitable for next prime minister.

But securing the backing for such a move is a different story within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

In “most suitable” polls, Kamikawa has placed ahead of party heavyweights, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi.

A February survey by the Mainichi Shimbun showed Kamikawa in second place behind former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba.

Surveys conducted by TV Asahi, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television and Fuji News Network Inc. placed Kamikawa in third place, behind Ishiba and former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi but ahead of digital minister Taro Kono.

Ishiba, Koizumi and Kono had long dominated the top ranks of such polls in recent years. The three are known as the “Koishikawa coalition” after part of the kanji characters in each of their surnames.

Some political observers saw the most recent polls as a sign that “a corner of the Koishikawa coalition has collapsed.”

Kamikawa’s public popularity may have been pushed by the factional slush fund scandal that has rocked the LDP.

She could “bring a sense of renewal for the LDP, now that it is branded as a failure,” a senior LDP Upper House member said.

Kamikawa, 70, is a seven-term Lower House member who belongs to the Kishida faction.

After working at Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc., she completed a master’s program at the Harvard Kennedy School and joined the policy team of Max Baucus, a U.S. Democratic Party senator from Montana.

She decided to become a politician because she felt that Japanese “politics must take a more proactive role in addressing international issues.”

Her first attempt at national politics was in the 1996 Lower House election. She ran as an independent in the Shizuoka No. 1 electoral district but was unsuccessful.

In the 2000 Lower House election, the LDP endorsed a rival candidate, so she ran as an independent. She won, and was later reinstated to the LDP.

Kamikawa has been appointed justice minister three times.

In 2018, during her second stint in the post, she signed the execution papers for all 13 death-row inmates convicted in the murderous crime spree of the Aum Shinrikyo cult.

In September 2023, Kamikawa became Japan’s first female foreign minister in 19 years. Since then, her media exposure has rapidly widened.

She has visited more than 20 countries, including the United States, Ukraine and Israel. Whenever she meets with dignitaries, she advocates the “Women, Peace and Security (WPS)” policy framework that reflects women’s perspectives in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. She usually goes home carrying materials from work.

A senior ministry official described Kamikawa as “just so serious.”

Kamikawa was chosen for the foreign minister post largely because LDP Vice President Taro Aso recommended her to Kishida.

Aso considers Motegi as a major candidate for prime minister, but Aso also highly evaluates Kamikawa’s administrative skills.

Motegi’s own faction will be dissolved because of the slush fund scandal, and his presence has weakened in the party.

There is a growing view within the LDP that “Kamikawa is Aso’s new ‘post-Kishida’ card.”

Aso, in a January speech, described her as a “new star” and praised her skills. But the 83-year-old former prime minister also made inappropriate comments about Kamikawa’s age and appearance. He even got her name wrong.

The sexist remarks drew widespread criticism, but Kamikawa refrained from criticizing Aso.

“I am aware that there are many different opinions, and I appreciate any and all feedback,” she said.

If Kamikawa decides to run for the LDP presidency, she will likely need the endorsement of at least Aso, who heads the second-largest faction in the party.

Kamikawa may even have trouble gaining support from her own faction.

The Kishida faction is currently chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.

Hayashi, 63, is younger than Kamikawa, but he is considered “senior” to her within the party.

There are strong calls within the party for Hayashi to be nominated for the “post-Kishida” position.

A former Cabinet member in the LDP expressed a cold view of Kamikawa: “All she does is read memos of prepared answers. She is just an ‘easy-to-use person’ in Aso’s eyes.”

Kamikawa has a reputation in the party as being incapable of rallying people behind her.

“Kamikawa has no friends,” a veteran lawmaker in the Kishida faction said.

According to a source close to Kamikawa, the foreign minister herself is perplexed by the sudden attention she is receiving as a candidate for next prime minister.

At a news conference on Feb. 27, she was asked if she had eyes on the prime minister’s post.

She did not give a direct answer.

“I approach my work as a foreign minster with a single-minded devotion and a determination to do my job without looking aside. This is my honest feeling,” she said.