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Graphic shows the most likely candidates to succeed Shinzo Abe as prime minister.
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POLITICS

Japan’s ruling LDP holds leadership vote

By Jordi Bou

September 14, 2020 - Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party elects its new leader following Shinzo Abe’s abrupt resignation for health reasons. The successful candidate will become prime minister.

Whoever is chosen will fill in for the rest of Abe’s term, until September 2021.

The next prime minister will face a number of challenges, including the ongoing fight against COVID-19, managing the Tokyo Olympics that has been postponed to next summer, setting Japan’s security policy in the face of an increasingly assertive China, and dealing with the results of the presidential election in the U.S., Japan's key ally.

Candidates include Shigeru Ishiba, a vocal critic of Abe and the public’s top choice for prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, Abe’s longtime right-hand man, Defence Minister Taro Kono, and Fumio Kishida, widely seen as Abe’s preferred successor.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 01/09/2020; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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