Poll shows 27% favor Kono as Japan's next ruling party leader

Sep 12, 2021 | News On Japan

Sep 12, 2021 (Nikkei) - Japan’s Administrative Reform Minister Taro Kono is the favorite to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as the next president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, according to an opinion poll conducted by Nikkei and TV Tokyo on Sept. 9-11.

The LDP presidential election, scheduled for Sept. 29, will effectively pick the next prime minister. Suga on Sept. 3 said he will not seek reelection.

A total of 27% of respondents picked Kono when asked who would be "the right person" to choose as LDP president. Former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba was second with 17% and former LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida was third with 14%. Former Interior Minister Sanae Takaichi was fifth with 7%.

Kono, Kishida and Takaichi have announced that they will run, while Ishiba is considering his options. Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi was in fourth place with 10%, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in sixth place with 6%, and Seiko Noda, the LDP’s executive acting secretary-general who is eager to run, was in seventh place with 2%.

The survey asked respondents to pick one of 10 LDP politicians. Among respondents who were LDP supporters, Kishida moved up to second place and Ishiba came in third. Kono, Kishida and Takaichi were 3 to 5 percentage points higher than the overall figures, while support for Ishiba fell by 4 points lower than the overall figure.

Among the "non-partisan class" that did not support a particular political party, Kono still came in at the top at 22% and Ishiba was second with 16%. Kishida was 9% and Takaichi was 4%.

The LDP president is elected via voting by members of parliament that belong to the LDP, as well as party members and supporters. The election, which will be quickly followed by the lower house election, is an event to choose the face of the party. LDP members are expected to vote with an awareness of the candidates’ popularity among the public.

Major Philippines Quake Triggers Tsunami Alert Across Japan

[Updated 5:53 p.m.] A powerful earthquake struck off Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines at 8:38 a.m. (Japan time) on June 8th, generating tsunami waves across parts of the Pacific, causing building collapses and casualties near the epicenter, and prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue tsunami advisories along a wide stretch of Japan's Pacific coastline, which remained in effect as of 5:53 p.m.

Unlicensed Peruvian Man Conducts Risky Medical Procedure During Delivery

A clinic director and a former Peruvian staff member have been referred to prosecutors after the man allegedly performed medical procedures without a license, including an external cephalic version—a procedure used to manually turn a baby into the correct position before birth—at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Fukuoka City, raising concerns about patient safety and oversight in maternity care.

Bear Spotted Running Through Central Utsunomiya Shopping District

A large bear was captured on security camera footage running through a shopping arcade in central Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, in the early hours of June 7th, as authorities stepped up warnings following a series of bear sightings across the city.

Missing American Tourist Found Dead in Mountains Outside Kyoto

The family of James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University student who disappeared during a family vacation in Japan, announced on June 7th that he has been found dead after a volunteer search-and-rescue group located his body in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, bringing a week-long multinational search to a tragic end.

Tokai and Kanto Enter Rainy Season as Heavy Rain Threatens Western Japan

Japan's Meteorological Agency announced on June 7th that the rainy season is believed to have begun in the Tokai and Kanto-Koshin regions, marking the seasonal shift to wetter weather across a broad area of the country.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Missing American Tourist Found Dead in Mountains Outside Kyoto

Thousands Join Tokyo Pride

One of Asia's largest LGBTQ+ events was held in Tokyo on June 7th, bringing together sexual minorities, supporters, businesses, and community organizations to celebrate diversity and call for greater equality and protections for LGBTQ+ people.

Abashiri Prison Inmates Raise Wagyu Cattle

At Futamigaoka Farm, operated by Abashiri Prison in Hokkaido, the people caring for the cattle are not livestock farmers but inmates serving prison sentences. Through daily work raising cattle, they are learning responsibility, empathy, and the value of life as Japan marks one year since the introduction of a new correctional system that places greater emphasis on rehabilitation.

Wanpato Squad Poodle Honored for Helping Disoriented Woman

A medium poodle named Rokuta, a member of Hiroshima's Wanpato Squad neighborhood patrol program, and his owner, Eri Toya, have received a letter of appreciation after helping locate a missing elderly woman in Fuchu Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, while on a routine patrol walk.

Penniless Man Steals 49 Water Meters to Get Cash for Copper

A 60-year-old unemployed man has been arrested and indicted for allegedly stealing water meters from apartment complexes in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, in what police believe was a scheme to sell the devices amid soaring copper prices and a growing nationwide wave of metal thefts.