The following are profiles of the three candidates running in the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election.
Shinzo Abe, the hawkish chief Cabinet secretary and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's right-hand man, has long been a favorite in public opinion polls to become Japan's next prime minister.
The 51-year-old entered the public spotlight in 2002 when, as deputy chief Cabinet secretary, he impressed the public with his tough and uncompromising attitude toward Pyongyang as Japan's chief negotiator with North Korea on the abduction issue.
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