Factbox-Potential Candidates to Be Japan’s Next Prime Minister | USA and the world

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Wednesday that he will step down as prime minister next month after a three-year tenure marked by scandal and declining public support.

Here are some potential contenders to replace him when the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) holds a leadership election next month.

SHIGERU ISHIBA, 67

A four-time candidate for party chairman and former defense minister, Ishiba has yet to officially announce his intention to run in the next race.

Ishiba is leading in opinion polls but may struggle to win over LDP lawmakers, who play a huge role in determining the next party chief.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Ishiba supported the Bank of Japan’s policy of gradually raising interest rates, saying normalization of monetary policy could lower prices and boost industrial competitiveness.

TOSHIMITSU MOTEGI, 68

Motegi, now general secretary of the PLD, has held many cabinet posts, including as foreign, trade and economy ministers.

He studied at the Harvard Kennedy School and worked at the Yomiuri newspaper and the consulting firm McKinsey before entering politics in 1993.

Motegi has a reputation as a tough negotiator and handled talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer when President Donald Trump was in office.

SHINJIRO KOIZUMI, 43 years old

A former environment minister and the son of charismatic former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, he is second behind Ishiba in the latest Jiji Press opinion poll.

Although he cultivated an image of a reformer, he was also careful not to offend party elders.

Educated at Columbia University, he was appointed environment minister in 2019 at the age of 38, becoming the third youngest member of a Japanese cabinet since World War II.

SANAE TAKAICHI, 63

Takaichi is the minister in charge of economic security and was credited with passing legislation to create an economic security permit system.

She ran against Kishida in the last party leadership race in 2021. She is known for her conservative stance, including visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial site that honors Japanese war dead and is seen by some Asian countries as a symbol of past militarism.

TARO KONO, 61

Kono also ran against Kishida in the last party leadership race and is again seen as a likely candidate. As digital minister under Kishida, he pushed to phase out the use of floppy disks, fax machines and other outdated technology in government.

A Georgetown University-educated and fluent English speaker, Kono, a social media expert, served as foreign and defense minister and oversaw the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine program under Kishida’s predecessor, Yoishihide Suga.

He has a reputation as a maverick but has stood by key policies promoted by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

YOKO KAMIKAWA, 71 years old

The foreign minister is a relatively weak figure, but has attracted attention as a potential prime minister in recent opinion polls.

After graduating from Harvard Kennedy School, he worked for US Senator Max Baucus.

When she was justice minister in 2018, she signed the execution papers for 13 death row inmates who were members of the apocalyptic cult Aum Shinrikyo, which carried out the deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995.

TAKAYUKI KOBAYASHI, 49 years old

Kobayashi, who was prime minister in charge of economic security, is credited with passing economic security legislation aimed at strengthening critical supply chains.

Another Harvard Kennedy School graduate, Kobayashi began his career at the finance ministry and worked at the Japanese embassy in the United States before entering politics in 2010.

He was first elected to the lower house in 2012 and was the parliamentary vice minister of defense under Abe.

(Reporting by Saotshi Sugiyama and Mariko Katsumura; Editing by David Dolan)