At a time of mounting challenges at home and abroad, the contest for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is not only going to determine Japan’s next prime minister, but, in all likelihood, also the face of the party in a general election.
Campaigning for the party leadership is set to kick off on Thursday, with voting taking place on Sept. 27.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s mid-August decision to not seek reelection as the party’s chief has triggered an unprecedented chain of events, with nine candidates throwing their hats into the ring — making the race the most crowded in the party’s history and one of the most unpredictable in decades.
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