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Taro Kono, the Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform and responsible for the vaccine distribution in Japan, leads the opinion poll on succeeding PM Suga, who announced that he would not run in the upcoming party leadership election. After Shigeru Ishiba, seen as the LDP's first choice according to a Mainichi poll just two weeks ago, dropped out, Kono faces two contenders: former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fumio Kishida, and a female candidate supported by Shinzo Abe's fraction, Sanae Takaichi. Takaichi is a right-winger whose policies align with Abe's (ingeniously, her economic programme was coined "Sanaenomics").
Taro Kono, a member of Aso's fraction, has not been officially endorsed yet. Here's why:
It is symptomatic for the detached LDP gerontocracy that the candidate who'd receive the most support from the electorate is met with fierce resistance for refusing to play along with political manoeuvering and backroom politics. Interesting days ahead.
One more thing on Mrs Takaichi. I thought I'd never say this, but I hope the next Japanese PM will NOT be a woman, at least not this one.
Taro Kono, a member of Aso's fraction, has not been officially endorsed yet. Here's why:
For Taro Kono, it's his outspokenness, sense of humor and savvy presence on social media that have made him a favorite among the public and a front-runner in the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election later this month. But his unorthodox communication style is a double-edged sword and has turned the administrative reform minister into a polarizing figure among some of the Liberal Democratic Party's influential old guard. Kono, who is also in charge of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, frequently tops public opinion polls asking voters who they want to see as Japan's next prime minister. Experts say his popularity stems in no small part from his active engagement with the public on social media, especially on Twitter, where his Japanese-language account boasts 2.4 million followers. This makes Kono the most followed lawmaker on the platform in Japan, even outshining the 2.2 million followers of Shinzo Abe, who resigned as the nation's longest-serving prime minister last year. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga lags far behind with under 500,000 followers.
In Japan politics, social media savvy Taro Kono is a rarity. His party isn't fully on board.
Kono's unorthodox communication style is a double-edged sword and has made him a polarizing figure among some of the Liberal Democratic Party's influential old guard.
www.japantimes.co.jp
It is symptomatic for the detached LDP gerontocracy that the candidate who'd receive the most support from the electorate is met with fierce resistance for refusing to play along with political manoeuvering and backroom politics. Interesting days ahead.
One more thing on Mrs Takaichi. I thought I'd never say this, but I hope the next Japanese PM will NOT be a woman, at least not this one.