The road from bureaucrat to politician is well-paved.

Some of Japan's most influential prime ministers have trod that path: Shigeru Yoshida's career began in the former Internal Affairs Ministry; Hayato Ikeda was once a Finance Ministry official; Eisaku Sato had his origins in the former Railways Ministry.

In Sunday's general election, 94 people who once served as government officials are aspiring to follow in their predecessors' footsteps. Of them, 57 are running for the Liberal Democratic Party and 25 for the Democratic Party of Japan.