Japan’s next prime minister could be its first woman leader

CNN —

Japan’s ruling party will elect its new leader Friday, and the winner will become the country’s next prime minister.

Out of a record nine candidates, three frontrunners are fighting a very close race that will likely end in a runoff vote.

The winner will take the helm of the world’s fourth-largest economy at a time of rising living costs, exacerbated by the weak yen and high inflation, as Japan faces growing security challenges in the region and friction with neighbors including China.

Among the favorites vying to lead the long-ruling, scandal-plagued Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is Sanae Takaichi, the conservative economic security minister who could become the nation’s first woman prime minister; Shinjiro Koizumi, a charismatic young surfer who hails from a popular political dynasty; and former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is on his fifth and final bid for the top job.

The conservative LDP has ruled Japan almost continuously since the party’s founding in 1955. Owing to its majority in the lower house, the LDP’s chosen candidate will be approved by Japan’s parliament, the Diet, when it convenes in October.

General elections are scheduled for next year, but the winning candidate could choose to call a snap election before then. Some reports suggest this could happen even before the US presidential election in November.

A Chinese people mourn in front of the Japanese school gate in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, on September 20, 2024. A 44-year-old Chinese man stabbed a 10-year-old Japanese boy on his way to his school on the 18th. The boy underwent surgery in a hospital but unfortunately passed away the following day. ( The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images )

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