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Four Politicians File Candidacies in LDP Presidential Race
Four Japanese politicians of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Thursday filed their candidacies in the upcoming party presidential election in which a successor to outgoing Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori will be chosen, Kyodo News reported.
The four lawmakers who submitted their applications are Former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, 63, former Health and Welfare Minister Junichiro Koizumi, 59, party policy chief Shizuka Kamei, 64, and Taro Aso, 60, minister of economic and fiscal policy,
The winner of the LDP presidential race, to be held on April 24, will almost certainly become the next Japanese prime minister as the LDP-led coalition holds a majority in the House of Representatives, which has the final say in selecting the top government post.
A new president will be chosen by votes from the LDP's 346 lawmakers and 141 votes from its local chapters, three votes from each of the party's 47 prefectural branches.
The party's local branches will hold primaries to choose candidates to vote for. If no candidate wins a majority in the first round of balloting, a runoff will be held between the two top candidates to determine the winner, according to LDP sources.
Debate among the four candidates is expected to focus on economic policy, particularly on ways to balance efforts to boost Japan's floundering economy and moves to deal with the country's massive debts.
Ahead of the filing of his candidacy, Hashimoto apologized for turning to fiscal consolidation too soon during his previous term as prime minister, between 1996 and 1998, a decision which has been blamed for Japan's current economic problems.
"This was a mistake in judgment, and I can only apologize," Hashimoto told a gathering of the party's largest faction, which he heads.
The former prime minister said he will seek to achieve economic recovery while learning from past mistakes if he wins the race.
Aso, a member of a 12-member intraparty group, also said that if he wins the race, his top priority would be to rejuvenate the country's economy.
Meanwhile, Koizumi, the No. 2 man in the LDP's second largest faction, which Mori heads, left the group in the morning in an attempt to enlist support from lawmakers outside his faction and rank-and-file LDP members by separating himself from the factional politics of the long-dominant party.
Mori agreed last month to move up the party presidential election from September after coming under fire for a string of verbal gaffes and scandals involving himself and his party.
The embattled Japanese prime minister made the decision after facing calls for his resignation from ruling bloc lawmakers, who were worried they would suffer a huge setback in July's House of Councilors election if the unpopular prime minister remains in office.
Profiles of the Four Candidates Hashimoto -- gunning for a second term as Japan's leader The 63-year-old Hashimoto, currently serving as state minister in charge of administrative reform, is considered a favorite candidate as the head of the biggest faction inside LDP.
Hashimoto first became prime minister in January 1996 and was forced to step down in July 1998 after LDP suffered a disastrous defeat in the House of Councilors election.
If he succeed this time, Hashimoto would become the second man to serve twice as prime minister in post-World War II Japan after former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida.
Born in a family of politicians in Okayama Prefecture, Hashimoto began his political career at the age of 25, three years after graduating from Keio University.
He was first elected to Japan's lower house at age of 26, and served as health minister, transport minister, finance minister and trade minister before becoming prime minister.
Being called a lone wolf by many politicians, Hashimoto is known for having a short temper and a bossy style. He is also an adept diplomat and tough negotiator.
Hashimoto is veteran mountain climber and once led an expedition to the Himalayas. The former prime minister also have a black belt in kendo.
Koizumi-- a reformist struggling on his 3rd bid for Japan's top post The 59-year-old member of the House of Representatives, considered as a main competitor for the LDP chief, lost his two such elections to Ryutaro Hashimoto in 1995 and to Keizo Obuchi in 1998 respectively.
To win the LDP presidency, Koizumi decided to leave the party's second largest faction, headed by Mori. By distancing himself from LDP factionalism, Koizumi is believed to have won support of some lawmakers outside the Mori faction.
Koizumi is widely known as a reformist, but his plan to privatize Japan's postal delivery, savings and insurance services has prevented him from gaining widespread support from party colleagues in past races because of opposition from an association of heads of small post offices, which is one of the LDP's main support groups.
Koizumi was born in a family of politicians in Kanagawa Prefecture, with his grandfather and father were both also Japanese cabinet members.
He graduated from Keio University and later worked as a secretary to former Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda.
Koizumi was first elected to the lower house in 1972 at the age of 30. He served as health minister under the Hashimoto cabinet from November 1996 to July 1998, and assumed posts and telecommunications minister from 1992 to 1993.
He became the nominal head of Mori's LDP faction when Mori became Japan's prime minister last April.
Koizumi has emerged as a leading younger member of the LDP, as one of the so-called "YKK trio" with former LDP Secretary General Koichi Kato and Taku Yamasaki, a former chairman of the party's Policy Research Council.
Kamei -- tough LDP policy chief eyeing for LDP's top post Kamei, a tough-looking and outspoken policy chief of the LDP, is known for his top-down management style which has often led to abrupt turnarounds on various policies.
The LDP policy chief is an ardent supporter of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, despite Mori's verbal gaffes and the scandals surrounding him, until Mori signaled his intention to step down last month.
Kamei now heads the LDP's third largest faction along with former Management and Coordination Agency chief Takami Eto.
As a strong advocate of fiscal spending to shore up Japan's economy, Kamei promises to achieve three percent annual economic growth within three years.
Unlike Hashimoto and Koizumi, Kamei was born in an impoverished farmer family in Hiroshima Prefecture. He joined the National Police Agency in 1962, two years after graduating from the University of Tokyo.
During his 15-year police career, Kamei was once involved in a confrontation with the United Red Army in a hostage incident in 1972.
Kamei was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1979, and later served as transport and construction minister.
He is also an oil painter and held the first exhibition of his works at a Tokyo gallery last month.
Aso -- a fresh image in Japan's politics Taro Aso, the 60-year-old minister of economic and fiscal policy, projects a fresh image among candidates in the leadership race of the LDP, as he has had a relatively short political career.
Aso, representing the younger generation with expertise in economic issues, is a grandson of the late Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida and son-in-law of former Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki. Some LDP members say that a victory by Aso could lead to a rejuvenation of the LDP.
He is a seven-term member of the House of Representatives, the least time serving in the Diet compared with other three candidates. Koizumi is serving his 10th term in the lower house, Kamei is on his 8th term and Hashimoto have served 13 times.
Born in Fukuoka, Aso is also a former Olympic competitor and represented Japan in the trapshooting event at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
After graduating from Gakushuin University, Aso went to study in the United States and Britain. He became the president of Aso Cement Co. in 1973, long owned by his family.
Aso was first elected to the lower house in 1979 and has held key LDP posts mainly in the fields of education and foreign affairs. He became head of the Economic Planning Agency in 1996 in the Hashimoto cabinet.
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