The five candidates running in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race also ran last year for the same post, only this time they’re campaigning to lead a party that’s not quite what it was in September 2024.
The LDP coalition now lacks a majority in either house, and the candidates have started to moderate their economic policies to reflect that reality. On some issues, they're starting to sound a lot like the opposition.
A new LDP leader to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will be chosen in a vote on Oct. 4. The victor will almost certainly become the next prime minister.
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