Profiles of Contenders in the Race for New Japanese Prime Minister

Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba is the clear public favorite but faces an uphill struggle to win support within his own party.

A military expert with a quirky side — he is a self-confessed 1970s pop fan who has discussed the existence of aliens — Ishiba has made no secret of his interest in the top job.

He challenged Abe for the leadership in the party's 2018 contest, when he was handily defeated, but has long been mentioned as a potential successor.

The 63-year-old former banker is the scion of a political family and seen as a strong orator with significant experience — he entered parliament aged just 29.

Read also: Shinzo Abe’s Successor Faces a Slew of Challenges in Leading Japan

Like Abe, he is a defense hawk who wants to strengthen the role of the country's Self-Defence Forces in the pacifist constitution.

He has served in several cabinet posts but struggles with his outsider status within the LDP.

In 1993, he left the party, becoming an independent and then briefly joining another party before returning to the fold — a political dalliance many in the LDP have not forgiven.

Fumio Kishida

Fumio Kishida is often described as Abe's preferred successor, but the soft-spoken 63-year-old appears to be struggling to capitalize on his heir-apparent status.

A political dove and former Foreign Minister, Kishida is currently the LDP's Policy Chief and has made little secret of his ambitions for the highest political office.

He is a scion of a political family from Hiroshima and leads a major faction within the ruling party and is seen as a pair of safe hands.

Unlike some of his rivals for the top job, Kishida has never challenged the prime minister for the leadership, choosing to remain a loyal minister and aide on the understanding that he would eventually be endorsed by Abe.

But that does not appear to have panned out, with Abe saying he would not endorse any one candidate or otherwise influence the race to succeed him.

As a Foreign Minister between 2012-2017, Kishida dealt with several tough assignments, including negotiating accords with Russia and South Korea.

The highlight of Kishida's tenure as the top diplomat was to accompany a 2016 trip by Barack Obama as he became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima. 

(Writers: Hiroshi Hiyama, Sara Hussein)

Source: http://u.afp.com/3Lym