The Fort Worth Press - Race to become Japan's next PM kicks off

USD -
AED 3.673042
AFN 67.564729
ALL 90.168501
AMD 386.045025
ANG 1.799991
AOA 912.503981
ARS 973.490388
AUD 1.481262
AWG 1.8005
AZN 1.70397
BAM 1.7862
BBD 2.01653
BDT 119.347915
BGN 1.786093
BHD 0.376547
BIF 2946.344582
BMD 1
BND 1.304534
BOB 6.926344
BRL 5.611804
BSD 0.998767
BTN 83.937714
BWP 13.254487
BYN 3.26846
BYR 19600
BZD 2.013151
CAD 1.37665
CDF 2878.000362
CHF 0.857219
CLF 0.033584
CLP 930.261656
CNY 7.066204
CNH 7.073041
COP 4196.81264
CRC 515.913969
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 100.703228
CZK 23.126604
DJF 177.843737
DKK 6.821704
DOP 60.1306
DZD 133.10804
EGP 48.517284
ERN 15
ETB 119.598977
EUR 0.91335
FJD 2.220804
FKP 0.765169
GBP 0.765169
GEL 2.71504
GGP 0.765169
GHS 15.95504
GIP 0.765169
GMD 68.503851
GNF 8636.000355
GTQ 7.736966
GYD 209.343102
HKD 7.76988
HNL 24.830388
HRK 6.88903
HTG 131.833342
HUF 366.890388
IDR 15569.15
ILS 3.75883
IMP 0.765169
INR 84.109349
IQD 1309.5
IRR 42102.503816
ISK 136.650386
JEP 0.765169
JMD 158.415547
JOD 0.708504
JPY 149.13904
KES 129.000351
KGS 85.503799
KHR 4065.00035
KMF 449.500188
KPW 900.00035
KRW 1349.320383
KWD 0.30653
KYD 0.833818
KZT 484.459035
LAK 21880.000349
LBP 89550.000349
LKR 292.894577
LRD 192.800015
LSL 17.490381
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.795039
MAD 9.803504
MDL 17.568609
MGA 4580.000347
MKD 56.332677
MMK 2098.000346
MNT 3398.000346
MOP 8.008821
MRU 39.750379
MUR 46.100001
MVR 15.350378
MWK 1736.000345
MXN 19.279335
MYR 4.287504
MZN 63.899993
NAD 17.490377
NGN 1623.670377
NIO 36.830377
NOK 10.696745
NPR 134.551514
NZD 1.636822
OMR 0.384931
PAB 1
PEN 3.754604
PGK 3.93225
PHP 57.229998
PKR 277.750374
PLN 3.92228
PYG 7809.428317
QAR 3.641104
RON 4.548504
RSD 106.938699
RUB 95.676336
RWF 1355
SAR 3.755215
SBD 8.265027
SCR 13.582361
SDG 601.503676
SEK 10.371445
SGD 1.305204
SHP 0.765169
SLE 22.847303
SLL 20969.503664
SOS 571.000338
SRD 31.946504
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.755724
SYP 2512.53037
SZL 17.490369
THB 33.101968
TJS 10.666441
TMT 3.51
TND 3.071038
TOP 2.360404
TRY 34.281704
TTD 6.791866
TWD 32.144999
TZS 2726.565785
UAH 41.204246
UGX 3677.396831
UYU 41.742342
UZS 12790.000334
VEF 3622552.534434
VES 38.218038
VND 24820.068365
VUV 118.722038
WST 2.803608
XAF 599.348542
XAG 0.031696
XAU 0.000376
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.744353
XOF 599.348542
XPF 109.033528
YER 250.350066
ZAR 17.409585
ZMK 9001.203587
ZMW 26.440782
ZWL 321.999592
  • BCC

    3.4200

    142.37

    +2.4%

  • JRI

    0.0300

    13.25

    +0.23%

  • NGG

    0.5600

    66.24

    +0.85%

  • SCS

    0.3100

    12.91

    +2.4%

  • RIO

    0.3900

    67.23

    +0.58%

  • CMSD

    0.1800

    24.95

    +0.72%

  • GSK

    -0.3800

    38.83

    -0.98%

  • AZN

    0.4800

    77.35

    +0.62%

  • RBGPF

    1.7400

    61.23

    +2.84%

  • CMSC

    0.1200

    24.71

    +0.49%

  • RELX

    0.4700

    46.83

    +1%

  • RYCEF

    0.0100

    7.01

    +0.14%

  • VOD

    -0.0900

    9.65

    -0.93%

  • BTI

    0.0700

    35.18

    +0.2%

  • BCE

    0.1600

    33.02

    +0.48%

  • BP

    -0.2300

    32.11

    -0.72%

Race to become Japan's next PM kicks off
Race to become Japan's next PM kicks off / Photo: © JIJI Press/AFP

Race to become Japan's next PM kicks off

Japan's leadership race kicked off Thursday with a record nine candidates including the surfing son of a former prime minister and an arch-nationalist vying to be the first woman premier.

Text size:

Whoever wins the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership vote on September 27 will succeed unpopular Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose three-year term was tarnished by scandals and unease over rising prices.

The contest comes as Japan beefs up defence spending and cooperation with fellow US allies to counter China and as the world's fourth largest economy struggles with a slow-burn demographic crisis.

The conservative LDP has governed almost uninterrupted for decades and holds a majority in parliament, meaning the winner is essentially guaranteed to become premier.

Leading the polls are Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, a former environment minister and the son of ex-premier Junichiro Koizumi, and veteran former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, 67.

"I want to change the politics of Japan, left behind by the changing times," Koizumi said as the candidates each made a campaign speech at the LDP headquarters.

His pledges include labour market deregulation, making political funds more transparent, and to "settle issues that have been debated for years" such as allowing married couples to have separate surnames.

Meanwhile Ishiba, highlighting regional tensions, referred to North Korea's ballistic missile test on Thursday morning.

"They are not doing this as a joke," he said, arguing of the need to build an organisation like NATO in East Asia.

- Prominent women -

Also in the running are two prominent women -- still a rarity in Japanese politics and business.

Hard-right Sanae Takaichi, 63, is a regular visitor to the Yasukuni shrine to Japan's war dead -- including those convicted for war crimes committed during Japan's brutal occupation of China and Korea.

Japan's economic security minister, Takaichi promised to "make the LDP a party that the Japanese people can believe in".

And although her support within the party is limited, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, 71, is seen as a deft leader who aspires to mentor younger female politicians.

Outspoken reformist Taro Kono, 61, is also a candidate, as is Toshimitsu Motegi, dubbed the "Trump whisperer" for his handling of the former US president in tough trade talks.

Others include chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, the only other candidate under 50 along with Koizumi.

In his emotional speech on Thursday, Koizumi also described meeting his birth mother for the first time this year.

- Snap polls predicted -

Displayed outside its party headquarters on Thursday was a large poster reading "The Match" with black-and-white photos of previous leaders.

Speculation is rife in local media that the winner will call a snap election for as soon as late October or early November.

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party is also in the midst of its own leadership contest.

The LDP race is seen as the most open in years, with Kishida having pushed many of the party's powerful factions to disband following a damaging slush fund scandal.

"A healthy degree of policy debate has been taking place as the LDP seeks renewal," said analyst James Brady from consultancy firm Teneo.

"Most candidates are making generous spending promises, while some oppose planned tax hikes," he wrote in a note.

LDP presidents are in office for three years and can serve up to three straight terms.

The opinion polls are only a rough guide, since only LDP lawmakers and regional party representatives have a vote following a series of public debates among the candidates.

D.Ford--TFWP