Japan ruling party leadership race begins with record 9 candidates

TOKYO — A record nine candidates on Thursday kicked off a 15-day election campaign to become the next leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and succeed Fumio Kishida as prime minister, as the party seeks to restore public confidence following a slush funds scandal.

The leadership election on Sept 27 will be held without the outright influence of intraparty groups at the center of the money scandal. That, and the unusually wide field of candidates, boots the likelihood that the vote will be split.

Whoever the winner is, the next LDP president will also need to help ease the squeeze felt by households due to rising prices and cope with security threats posed by an assertive China as well as nuclear-armed North Korea, which launched a number of missiles just hours before the race began.

The new leader is certain to become prime minister as both houses of parliament are controlled by the LDP and its coalition partner, the Komeito party. Komeito is also set to elect its new leader this month, while the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is also likely to do so.

Party renewal is a common pledge among the LDP leadership contenders, including two young hopefuls in their 40s and two women seeking to become Japan's first-ever female prime minister. Four are current members of Kishida's cabinet.

During the first joint appearance after filing their candidacies, the candidates unveiled their visions for Japan, underscoring the need for the country, now the world's fourth-largest economy after Germany, to be "reworked," "stronger," more "competitive" and "self-sustaining."

The candidates are expected to discuss how they would, as the next leader, support the economy by strengthening a positive cycle of wage and price hikes, address social security challenges amid the rapid aging of its population, and tackle the LDP's goal of revising the war-renouncing Constitution. Whether to allow married couples to use different family names is another contentious issue.

Among public favorites, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, 67, is making his fifth and final bid to become LDP chief, describing it as the "culmination" of his 38-year political career, during which he has gained recognition as a policy expert in security, agriculture and regional revitalization.

Another familiar face and rising star in the LDP, Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, is aiming to follow his father Junichiro Koizumi, a reformer and one of the most popular premiers in the postwar era, into the prime minister's office. While some point to the younger Koizumi's lack of experience, others see his potential to become the new face of the party.

After getting the go-ahead from Kishida, Digital Minister Taro Kono, 61, a political maverick and social media-savvy lawmaker, was the first among current cabinet members to announce his bid. The outspoken former foreign and defense minister was defeated in a runoff with Kishida in the previous LDP leadership election in 2021.

Kishida's right-hand man, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 63, is making his second bid to become party leader. Like Ishiba, he is well-versed in various fields such as diplomacy, education and agriculture.

Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, 71, took time to secure the support of 20 lawmakers, a requirement for any candidate to run. The former justice minister is one of the two female candidates. Both Hayashi and Kamikawa are from a now-defunct faction of relatively moderate lawmakers that has produced five premiers, including Kishida.

Also running are several conservative lawmakers who are expected to appeal to LDP members who shared the political vision of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, 63, who touts her affinity for Abe, is running for the second time, vowing to make Japan "stronger and richer."

Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, and former health minister Katsunobu Kato, 68, who served as the top government spokesmen under Abe's successor Yoshihide Suga, are joining the race as first-timers, potentially splitting the conservative vote.

LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi, 68, has already rocked the boat by apparently distancing himself from a key government tax plan while serving as the No. 2 in the ruling party. The former foreign minister said that if elected, he would not resort to raising taxes to finance part of a planned substantial spending increase to boost defense capabilities.

If no candidate wins an outright majority of the 734 votes -- 367 from LDP lawmakers and another 367 from rank-and-file members -- a runoff vote will be held between the top two candidates, with 367 votes from lawmakers and 47 rank-and-file votes allocated to each of Japan's 47 prefectures.

The deadline for voting by rank-and-file members is scheduled for Sept 26 and the next LDP chief will be selected for a three-year term on Sept 27. The leader would then be elected prime minister in parliament, possibly on Oct 1.

© KYODO