By Michitaka Kaiya

8:00 JST, November 29, 2025

A House of Representatives member playing an unusual dual role is making his presence felt in the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. It is Takashi Endo, Diet affairs committee chairman of the Japan Innovation Party, who has been appointed as a special adviser to the prime minister. Endo played a pivotal role in forming the new coalition government by connecting Takaichi, who is president of the Liberal Democratic Party, with JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura, when the two did not even have each other’s mobile phone numbers.

Upon joining the coalition, the JIP declined the prime minister’s request to also join her Cabinet, opting instead for “out-of-cabinet cooperation.” As the sole JIP lawmaker within the government, Endo stated, “I have a responsibility as the glue holding [the LDP and the JIP] together,” signaling his resolve to support the administration. His role as adviser focuses on “achieving the realization of policies outlined in the coalition agreement,” giving him the weighty responsibility of advancing policies in a broad range of areas.

It is unusual for someone to concurrently serve as a special adviser while also holding a post such as Diet affairs committee chairman, which involves behind-the-scenes coordination between ruling and opposition parties on managing Diet affairs. However, the JIP was unable to find anyone comparable to Endo, who served as its Diet affairs committee chairman for a long period from 2015 to 2024 and resumed the role after the House of Councillors election in July, so he continues as the party’s Diet affairs committee chairman as well.

Consequently, Endo has assumed a position coordinating policy decisions between the Prime........

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