Both declared and undeclared candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election began making their cases for prime minister Friday in a high-profile panel discussion viewed as a prelude to the Sept. 20 poll.
The discussion, organized by the LDP's Tokyo chapter, is the first in a series of policy debates that will be held across the country.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, a conservative hawk widely considered the front-runner in the race who has yet to declare his candidacy, participated in the discussion, as did Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, who threw his hat into the ring Thursday.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.