Candidates Of Ldp Presidential Election
Three candidates are in the race to become the next leader of the main ruling party in Japan. Their experiences are as diverse as their political backgrounds.
One of the contenders is Ishiba Shigeru, who had not even turned 30 by the time he secured a seat in the Lower House.
He was following in the footsteps of his politician father who was also a cabinet minister and prefectural governor.
Within a decade, Ishiba faced a difficult choice. The LDP lost power for the first time in three decades and Ishiba made a move to the party in power.
But he would return to the LDP, after it took back the Diet.
A few years later, he took over as Defense chief. Ishiba soon impressed the public with knowledge he'd gleaned from a personal fascination with the security forces.
Over the years, he moved between several senior posts.
Ishiba is no stranger to leadership elections, having tried to take the party's helm three times before.
He came close to winning in 2012, securing the largest number of initial votes, before losing to Abe in a runoff.
Ishiba later declined a cabinet position to focus on his own policies.
He put up a good fight in that next race, winning more than 40 percent of votes among rank-and-file members.
Ishiba hopes, this time around, that he will finally be able to cross the finish line.
Of the three main contenders, Suga Yoshihide is the only one who wasn't born into politics.
His family owns a strawberry farm in Northeastern Japan, and his first job was at a cardboard factory.
Suga broke into the political world as a Yokohama city councilor, before winning a Diet seat in the 1996 Lower House election.
Years later, he would become part of Abe's first cabinet, serving as the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.
He would eventually push for Abe to return from the political wilderness.
The prime minister resigned in 2007, but support from lawmakers like Suga helped him regain leadership of the party five years later.
Suga became a key face in Abe's next government, which has since become the longest in Japan's history.
As the top government spokesperson, Suga was the one to announce the name of Japan's latest era, Reiwa.
The moment earned him internet fame and an "Uncle Reiwa" nickname.
Now, in his first-ever leadership race, Suga has pledged to carry on Abe's policies.
The third candidate is Kishida Fumio, who won his first Lower House election at the age of 35.
A former banker, he seemed destined for this moment.
Both his father and grandfather represented the area and a distant relative even served as Prime Minister.
Over time, the political prince made a name for himself.
He is likely best known abroad as one of Abe's Foreign Ministers. During his tenure, then US President Barack Obama visited Kishida's Hiroshima constituency where they discussed nuclear disarmament efforts.
Kishida had taken on a new role as the party's policy chief, by the time the coronavirus pandemic changed life in Japan.
He worked on health and economic policies, in full support of the Abe administration.
For Kishida, this first presidential campaign marks the culmination of long-held political aspirations.
