Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda's exit from the race to succeed Junichiro Koizumi as Liberal Democratic Party president may have surprised the political arena, but it hasn't upended plans by a Tokyo souvenir maker to turn a profit on the upcoming election.
Boxes of "manju" steamed buns wrapped in paper lampooning Koizumi are all the rage in Tokyo's Nagata-cho political hub. The packages also depict four candidates eager to replace him standing at a starting line. They are Fukuda, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and Foreign Minister Taro Aso.
The sweets, called Post-Junchan Manju, went on sale July 4 at souvenir shops in and around the Diet building, as well as at major tourist spots in Tokyo, including Asakusa, Odaiba, and even the contentious Yasukuni Shrine.