जापान में अगले प्रधानमंत्री बनने की आधिकारिक दौड़ शुरू

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) officially kicks off its leadership race on Thursday, as a two-week campaign kicks off, with a record nine candidates vying to become the new party chief and the country's next prime minister. The contest for the LDP presidency, which has a three-year term until 2027, began amid a decline in confidence in the party, as party reform in the wake of its slush fund scandal is a key issue in the upcoming election, Xinhua news agency reported, citing local media reports.

Candidate nominations were filed at LDP headquarters on Thursday morning, with party lawmaker Ichiro Aisawa declaring the election officially open as chairman of the LDP's election administration committee. Since both houses of parliament are controlled by the LDP and its coalition partner the Komeito party, the winner is set to become prime minister early next month when Japan's parliament, the Diet, resumes.

Following Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's decision not to seek re-election as LDP president, the election has become the most crowded race in the party's history and one of the most unpredictable. As the 15-day campaign kicks off on Thursday, the nine presidential candidates will embark on a nationwide campaign, attending debates, giving speeches and lobbying local LDP chapters. Voting and ballot counting will take place on September 27, when the candidates will compete for a total of 734 votes, 367 of which will be cast by LDP lawmakers and 367 by ordinary party members. The winner must receive more than half of the votes to be elected as the new party chief, however, if no one wins a majority in the first round, a run-off vote between the top two candidates will take place on the same day when the 47 prefectural chapters will get one vote each and 367 lawmakers will vote for a second time.

Senior candidates and public favorites include former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, 67, who is making his fifth and final bid to become LDP chief in his 38-year political career. Another candidate for the LDP presidency is Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, a former environment minister and son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. The two female contenders are Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, 63, and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, 71; Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 63; LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, 68; and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, 68. According to an opinion poll conducted by Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun in late August, Koizumi has emerged as the most popular candidate with 23 percent support. Ishiba came in second with 18 percent and Takaichi third with 11 percent.