Candidates for Japan's next leader include former premier's son, defence expert

Japan will have a new leader after outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas governing Liberal Democratic Party holds a vote on Sept 27 to choose his replacement They hope to shake off scandals that have dogged his government and regain public supportA record nine candidates seek the top job Here are the main contenders Shinjiro Koizumi 43 The son of popular former premier Junichiro Koizumi has been considered a potential prime minister candidate since he was elected to parliament in 2009 Despite his lack of experience his background as a political blue blood age and popularity are his strengthsKoizumi has vowed to change an oldfashioned LDPrdquo and accelerate reforms to revitalize Japan including by making the job market more flexible He said he will hold a snap election soon after taking office to seek the publics mandateKoizumi supports a revision to a 19thcentury civil code requiring married couples to choose one of their surnames which has caused most women to adopt their husbands surnames He wants to allow an option of keeping separate surnames that is supported by the countrys powerful business lobbyHe has said he will further strengthen the JapanUS alliance and expand a cooperation network with other likeminded nations to deter Chinas growing influence He wants to meet with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts soon after taking office and hold talks with North Koreas Kim Jong Un Junichiro Koizumi and Kim Jong Il held talks in 2002 on the issue of abducted Japanese citizensShinjiro Koizumi regularly visits Tokyos controversial Yasukuni Shrine seen by Asian neighbours as a symbol of Japans wartime militarismAs environment minister in 2019 Koizumi made his international debut at a United Nations summit saying ldquoa bigscale issue like climate change got to be fun its got to be cool and its got to be sexy too His choice of language was criticized as shallowKoizumi holds a masters degree in political science from Columbia UniversityShigeru Ishiba 67 Ishiba is running in the leadership race for a fifth time Political analysts put him and Koizumi as top two contendersDespite his popularity among general voters Ishiba has struggled to win enough support from fellow party lawmakers He has said this will be his ldquofinal battlerdquo Ishiba has served as defence minister and in other key posts and is a security and defense expert He has proposed an Asian version of the NATO military alliance Ishiba is a supporter of Taiwan s democracyIshiba vows to push for gender equality and measures to address low births and Japans declining populationSanae Takaichi 63 As economic security minister Takaichi is making a second bid to become Japans first female leader A proteacutegeacute of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe she is a staunch conservative and attracts the right wing In the 2021 party leadership vote she finished third in a runoffTakaichi has vowed to fortify Japans resilience to natural disasters and security risks by bolstering food security supply chains and military capabilityA regular visitor to Yasukuni Takaichi is known as a revisionist of Japans wartime atrocities and has called for a tougher stance on ChinaTakaichi supports the imperial familys maleonly succession and opposes samesex marriage and a revision to the law that could allow women to keep their maiden namesTakaichi was elected to parliament in 1993 and has also served as minister of internal affairs and gender equality She has said her role model is Margaret ThatcherYoko Kamikawa 71 A Harvardeducated former think tank analyst Kamikawa serves as a top diplomat for Kishida and supports his foreign and defence policiesKamikawa has a reputation for getting the job done She has visited conflict zones including Ukraine and the Palestinian territories She is known as lowkey and diligentAs justice minister in 2018 she signed off on the death penalty for 13 members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult responsible for the 1995 sarin nerve gassing of Tokyo subways and other crimesTaro Kono 61 Once considered a maverick for criticizing party policies Kono makes his third challenge after unsuccessfully running in 2009 and 2021 As digital minister Kono has led the elimination of Japans reliance on fax machines paper documents requiring ldquohankordquo stamps and the ldquomy numberrdquo social security identification systemSon of former LDP Secretary General Yohei Kono he has served as foreign and defense minister and was praised for pushing vaccinations during the coronavirus pandemicKono has said Japan faces a worsening security environment in the region while at home many people face a weakening economy shrinking population and gender disparity that are tantamount to a ldquoemergencyrdquo He supports Japans ongoing military buildup a stronger JapanUS alliance and expanded defense cooperation with other likeminded nationsDespite his earlier support for a nuclear energy phaseout Kono now supports maintaining it to meet soaring demands to power advanced data centers and AIKono has backpedalled from his support for a female emperor a shift seen as an attempt to gain support from party conservativesToshimitsu Motegi 67 As party secretary general Motegi holds the LDPs No 2 position after Kishida He has served as foreign and economy ministers and has a reputation as a tough negotiatorMotegi has said he will achieve economic growth that would end deflation and announced a ldquozero tax increaserdquo plan that would reverse a tax hike plan adopted by Kishidas government to cover growing defence spending and greater support to address declining birthsMotegi has said he will continue Kishidas security and foreign policies and ldquodecisivelyrdquo respond to Chinas coercive actions in the regionA graduate of University of Tokyo and Harvard University school of public policy Motegi was elected to Japans lower house in 1993 after working for consultancy McKinseyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday 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