A close race was emerging for Japan’s ruling party to select a new leader to replace prime minister Naoto Kan, with five men declaring their candidacy today to compete in the weekend campaign.
Mr Kan declared that he would resign after nearly 15 months in office amid plunging approval ratings and political infighting within his own party and in parliament.
According to public opinion polls, the favourite to replace Mr Kan is former foreign minister Seiji Maehara, but trade and economy minister Banri Kaieda emerged as a strong contender after Japanese media reports said he had gained
the support of veteran party power broker Ichiro Ozawa.
After the five candidates hold press conferences and debates today and tomorrow, the DPJ's 398 members of parliament will vote on Monday to choose a new party chief, who will almost certainly become prime minister because of the party's majority in the more powerful lower house.
Mr Kan's successor will become Japan's sixth prime minister in five years, perpetuating the high turnover in political leadership even as the country grapples with a sluggish economy, an ageing population and the enormous reconstruction effort after the earthquake and tsunami in March that spawned a nuclear crisis.
The Japanese public, yearning for political unity and resolve in the wake of the disasters, has grown disgusted with the squabbles and blame-trading that has dominated parliamentary sessions.
"It's embarrassing. It's hard to keep track of who is prime minister these days," said Rie Aoki, a housewife in the Tokyo suburb of Fuchu. "It's so upsetting to see them squabbling in parliament. Elementary students have more interesting conversations."
Candidates running for party chief have spelled out little about their vision for post-tsunami reconstruction or other serious issues, such as tackling the bulging national debt.
Most of them also have not taken a clear stance on the future of atomic power despite growing public worries about meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
AP