Some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party hope that Takayuki Kobayashi, a relatively young former bureaucrat, will run in the party's leadership election expected to take place next month.
They believe that electing Kobayashi, 49, as LDP president will help convince voters that the party is making efforts to reform itself following a high-profile political funds scandal.
Kobayashi did not confirm or deny a run in the September leadership race when he appeared on television late last month, but hinted that the nation's top post was on his mind.
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