Attention news enthusiasts! 🚀 Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) kicked off its race for a new leader on Saturday. Five candidates are in the mix, each aiming to become the party chief—and in practice, the next prime minister. 🏛️
Meet the contenders:
- Toshimitsu Motegi (former LDP Secretary-General)
- Yoshimasa Hayashi (Chief Cabinet Secretary)
- Shinjiro Koizumi (Agriculture Minister and Japan’s style icon 🌟)
- Sanae Takaichi (former economic security minister)
- Takayuki Kobayashi (former economic security minister)
This election mirrors last year’s record with five returning faces. The first round features 590 votes: 295 from LDP lawmakers and 295 from party members and registered supporters.
If a candidate scores over 50% in round one, they win outright. If not, the top two will face off in a runoff—think of it as a sudden-death match! 🔥
After the LDP picks its president, Japan’s parliament will hold a vote to officially designate the prime minister. Even though the ruling bloc lost its majority in both chambers, the LDP is still the biggest party, so the new leader is almost guaranteed to take the PM seat.
Stay tuned as this high-stakes power play unfolds! 🔍✨
Reference(s):
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party begins voting for new leader
cgtn.com
