Tokyo - A newspaper poll published Sunday showed most Japanese voters
want Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, a conservative, to be the country's
next leader, a day after he was endorsed by current Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi.
Japanese
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe (C), flanked by Finance Minister
Sadakazu Tanigaki (L) and Foreign Minister Taro Aso, delivers a stump
speech in front of a crowd at Tokyo's Akihabara district September 9,
2006. [Reuters] |
Abe and two other contenders, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and Foreign
Minister Taro Aso, are vying for the top post in the governing Liberal
Democratic Party in September 20 balloting. Koizumi's term expires later this
month.
The LDP leader is almost certain to become Japan's next prime minister
because of the party's strong majority in Parliament.
On Sunday, the three candidates traveled separately outside Tokyo to appeal
to local supporters.
Koizumi broke his silence late Saturday on his endorsement. "I will cast my
vote for Mr. Abe," he said in Helsinki, Finland, where he is attending an
Asia-Europe Meeting. "Since I became prime minister, Mr. Abe ... has been the
closest to me and helped me move ahead with reforms."
Abe "has done a superb job and earned recognition as a future leader,"
Koizumi said.
Public opinion polls have also put Abe far ahead of the other two candidates.
In a survey published by the national Asahi newspaper on Sunday, 54 percent
of respondents picked the 51-year-old Abe as most suited to be the next prime
minister, while Tanigaki and Aso were chosen by only about 10 percent each. The
remaining respondents were undecided.
The respondents overwhelmingly cited "personality and image" and
"youthfulness" as reasons for picking Abe, while only a fraction took note of
his policies, the survey said. Only 11 percent of respondents said they knew
Abe's political agenda.
Abe's popularity depends heavily on his good looks and gentle image,
especially among women, said the Asahi, which interviewed 1,055 voters in the
September 8-9 telephone survey.
"The LDP leadership race lacks excitement," the newspaper said. "It's not
just because the outcome is predictable, but because candidates lack personal
charm and their debates are boring."
The LDP leader will be elected by party politicians and members, not by the
general public.
During a policy debate on Saturday, Abe said Japan's economy will benefit if
the country more aggressively promotes free trade across Asia.
Abe renewed his calls for Japan to build a stronger military and push ahead
with economic reforms. He also reiterated his intention to revise Japan's
US-drafted 1947 pacifist Constitution, which renounces the use of force in
settling international disputes.
Abe said he would seek to improve relations with Japan's Asian neighbors, and
pledged to preserve Japan's alliance with the United States.
Tanigaki, 61, who has criticized Koizumi's Asian diplomacy and his visits to
a controversial war shrine, is presenting himself as the candidate with economic
credentials who can mend Japan's foreign relations.
Aso, oldest among the three at 65, is stressing his experience and has
focused on economic reform and on maintaining Japan's defense alliance with
Washington.
