Ex-defense minister Ishiba tops corporate Japan's premier wish list, Reuters poll shows

Former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba is corporate Japan's top choice to replace Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, edging out Sanae Takaichi, who strives to become the nation's first female premier, a Reuters survey showed on Thursday.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is set to hold an election on Sept. 27 to pick its next leader who will become the prime minister given the party's control of parliament. Kishida will not run in the race.

The winner will be tasked with leading the LDP to victory in a lower house election that could take place as early as this year and working closely with the next president of key ally the United States amid China's economic and military expansion.

About 24% of respondents named Ishiba as the most desirable candidate, compared with 22% for Economic Security Minister Takaichi and 16% for Shinjiro Koizumi, the 43-year-old son of former premier Junichiro Koizumi.

Ishiba generally fares better than Koizumi in public opinion polls, but Koizumi has often come out on top among LDP supporters.

Ishiba has held cabinet portfolios for agriculture and reviving local economies besides serving as defense minister and LDP policy chief.

The 67-year-old former banker has said his top priority would be to achieve a clear exit from deflation and encourage investments in growth areas by both the public and private sectors.

"He has a wealth of experience. He seems to be the kind of person who will press ahead with reforms without paying heed to party factions," a manager at a food company wrote in the survey.

Takaichi, 63, is calling for strategic fiscal spending in cutting-edge technologies to drive the economy, while former environment minister Koizumi, who, if elected, would be Japan's youngest-ever leader, plans