AdvertisementAdvertisementEast AsiaFrom left: Veteran Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Sanae Takaichi, former Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. (File photos: AFP)22 Sep 2025 12:41PM (Updated: 22 Sep 2025 12:48PM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST TOKYO: The leadership contest for Japan's ruling party kicked off on Monday (Sep 22), with five candidates vying to become the country's fourth prime minister in as many years.Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba threw in the towel on Sep 7 after a string of poor election results for the long-dominant but ailing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).Of the five contenders who filed their papers on Monday ahead of an Oct 4 party vote, Sanae Takaichi and Shinjiro Koizumi are the favourites, polls suggest.Takaichi, 64, who would be Japan's first woman premier, is seen as a hard-line nationalist while Agriculture Minister Koizumi, 44, is the telegenic son of an ex-premier.The others are Toshimitsu Motegi, 69, a former top diplomat with a reputation as a tough trade negotiator; Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64, the top government spokesman in Ishiba's Cabinet with large ministerial experience; and former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, 50.Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks at a press conference about his running in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership race in Tokyo, Japan, on Sep 18, 2025. (File photo: Reuters/Kim Kyung-hoon)Japan's former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi, a candidate for Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) presidential election, speaks during a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Sep 14, 2024. (File photo: Pool via AP)The candidates will be formally approved before each of them gives a policy speech at LDP headquarters on Monday, election committee head Ichiro Aisawa said.The LDP has governed Japan for all but four years since it was launched in 1955.Whoever wins will face a host of complex issues including a rapidly ageing population, colossal national debt and a faltering economy plagued by rising prices.The election on Oct 4 will be open to ordinary members of the LDP.The head of the party usually becomes prime minister because of the party's long-held legislative majority with coalition partner Komeito.But the coalition over the past year lost its majority in the both houses of parliament after two major election losses under Ishiba.Listen:Source: AFP/rlNewsletterWeek in ReviewSubscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in ReviewOur chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.NewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST