Japan’s Liberal Democratic party is poised to make political history next month by delivering either the country’s first female prime minister, or the youngest man to hold the job since the 19th century.
But either result will force the long-ruling party to confront what a growing number of members see as a make-or-break chance to reinvigorate the ailing bloc. The LDP, which has ruled Japan for all but a handful of the past 70 years, is divided between its conservative and liberal wings, and has been shedding public support.
The two frontrunners in a field of five candidates for the LDP leadership contest, which officially began on Monday, are Sanae Takaichi and Shinjiro Koizumi, according to political analysts, domestic media polling and multiple LDP members.