TOKYO: Japan’s ruling party began voting on Saturday to choose the country’s likely next prime minister amid public anger over rising prices and opposition promises of stimulus.
Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who would be Japan’s youngest premier in the modern era, and conservative nationalist Sanae Takaichi, who would be its first female leader, are the frontrunners according to opinion polls.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, a centrist party veteran who has held key portfolios, is also considered a serious contender for the Liberal Democratic Party leadership.
Voting among lawmakers and rank-and-file party members nationwide began with the ballot expected to go to a runoff and conclude around 0630 GMT.
A parliamentary vote to choose a prime minister to replace Shigeru Ishiba is expected to be held on October 15.
The new LDP president will likely lead the world’s fourth-biggest economy despite the party losing its parliamentary majorities under Ishiba in the past year.
Opposition parties including the fiscally expansionist Democratic Party for the People have been steadily luring younger voters away from the LDP.
“The LDP is rotting from within, so it’s about time for a reset,“ said Takaichi supporter Osamu Yoshida outside Shimbashi commuter train station in Tokyo.
Takaichi offers the starkest vision for change as an advocate of late premier Shinzo Abe’s “Abenomics” strategy to jolt the economy.
She has previously criticised the Bank of Japan’s interest rate increases, potentially spooking investors worried about Japan’s massive debt load.
Koizumi and Hayashi say they would hew closely to Ishiba’s economic policies while promising wage boosts and household relief from inflation.
Takaichi has raised the possibility of redoing an investment deal with U.S. President Donald Trump that lowered tariffs in return for Japanese taxpayer-backed investment.
Her nationalistic positions include regular visits to the Yasukuni shrine, viewed by some Asian neighbours as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.
She also favours revising Japan’s pacifist postwar constitution and suggested forming a “quasi-security alliance” with Taiwan.
The LDP election will be decided by 295 lawmakers and an equal number of grassroots votes, with no candidate expected to win outright in the first round.
A runoff between the two top candidates would follow, favouring the contender with stronger parliamentary backing over grassroots support.
Polling suggests Koizumi or Hayashi would have an advantage over Takaichi in a second round of voting.
If selected, Koizumi would be slightly older than Hirobumi Ito when he became Japan’s first prime minister in 1885 under the prewar constitution.
The winner is expected to hold a press conference around 0900 GMT following the announcement of results. – Reuters
