Following back-to-back prime ministerial resignations by conservative star Shinzo Abe and political dove Yasuo Fukuda, where does the new president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party rate on the hawk-dove scale?
"Taro Aso is a hawk," Aso, who defines the term as being able to sacrifice oneself for Japan's peace and national interest, acknowledged in Tokyo last week.
The blunt-spoken Fukuoka native has described China as a "growing military threat" and accuses Beijing of politicizing the Yasukuni Shrine issue.