Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who is expected to formally declare his bid for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency in the coming days, is often among the public’s top choices for who they think should become prime minister, despite his relatively limited experience in government.
Once he declares his candidacy, he will become the second LDP politician under the age of 50 to join the leadership race, after former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, who announced his bid on Monday.
Koizumi, 43, is the son of Junichiro Koizumi, who was prime minister between 2001 and 2006. He took over his father’s Kanagawa Lower House seat in 2009 after the senior Koizumi retired from politics.