The Liberal Democratic Party has started preparations for its presidential election in September.

The LDP’s leadership race marks a crossroads at which the long-ruling party must rigorously and tough-mindedly review Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration over the three years since its inauguration as a first step toward restoring the public trust that was lost due to the factional slush fund scandal.

An Upper House election is scheduled for next summer, while a Lower House election must be held by the fall of the same year.

If the party’s presidential poll ends up being dominated by internal politics and faction dynamics or is nothing but "choosing the cover," the LDP should be prepared to see the public's support drift further away.

The LDP's presidential election management committee, which decides on the election schedule and campaign methods, has been launched. The selection of the 11 LDP Diet members who make up the committee was based on factors such as the regions where their constituencies are located and the number of terms served.

Most of the LDP factions disbanded amid a public outcry over the scandal involving slush funds pooled by these intra-party groups from proceeds of fund-raising parties held by their members.

The presidential election will be contested by combining the local votes of card-carrying party members from across the country with the votes of the Diet members.

Young LDP lawmakers have requested that the election period, which is to be "more than 12 days," be extended as much as possible. Since this is effectively the selection of the next prime minister by virtue of the LDP’s majority in the Lower House, it must be open to the public and involve thorough policy debates.

Kishida, whose three-year term as the LDP chief expires at the end of September, has yet to declare his intention to run for re-election.

With his Cabinet's approval rating languishing at its lowest levels, Kishida, if he wants to keep governing the nation, needs to honestly reflect on his failures during his troubled administration and offer a clear vision and a convincing policy agenda for the future.

LDP legislators who think the party needs new leadership to reform itself should not passively observe the prime minister's moves and other candidates' decisions but come forward to declare their candidacy and present their own ideas and policies.

At the root of the distrust in the party is the incomplete investigation and accountability of the slush fund scandal and a consistently lukewarm and half-hearted approach to ensuing the transparency of political funding.

All candidates should show a road map for fundamental reforms that will prevent any recurrence of the "politics and money" issues.

Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga stated that the focal point of the party leadership election is "whether it can bring a sense of renewal to the public."

This statement could be seen as an implicit request for Kishida’s resignation, but is he forgetting his own responsibility as the top adviser to the party's “political renewal headquarters”?

If he thinks changing the leader will alter public sentiment, he is underestimating the people’s ability to evaluate the party’s commitment to reform.

Traditionally, the LDP presidential election has been decided by factions' moves to build coalitions and forge alliances for their best political benefits. This time, however, all the factions other than the one led by Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso have decided to dissolve.

Does this mean that each lawmaker will vote independently, or will the original factional framework still exert influence over the LDP lawmakers’ voting behaviors?

Whether there is a real substance to the initiative to ensure a "departure from faction politics" that Kishida has championed will become apparent during the process.

The prolonged administration of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wielded overwhelming political power through centralized control of the party, created an atmosphere that discouraged LDP lawmakers from expressing their opinions.

This presidential election is also a test of whether the party can regain its vigor and vitality through open and candid policy debates.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 8