The three candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency all promised aggressive economic measures Thursday afternoon as they delivered joint campaign speeches at LDP headquarters in last-minute pitches before today's election.
Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama, Health and Welfare Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi also unanimously called for the prompt disposal of bad loans at financial institutions in order to reinflate the nation's ailing economy.
Meanwhile, junior lawmakers in the Kajiyama and Koizumi camps, alarmed by news of Obuchi's great lead in the race, began considering desperate moves to stop the foreign minister from winning the party presidency.