Executives of Liberal Democratic Party chapters in 15 prefectures — nearly a third of the total — favor former Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki as the next party president from among the three candidates running for the job.
The other two contenders — former Senior Vice Justice Minister Taro Kono and former Parliamentary Vice Foreign Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura — are each supported by secretaries general and other executives of only two prefectural LDP chapters, according to a survey of local party leaders.
The officials who supported Tanigaki cited his "strength in policies," "sense of balance and stability," "being a good debater" and "background."
In the Sept. 28 election to choose a successor to Taro Aso, 199 votes will be cast by the party's lawmakers in the Diet and 300 by local party members.
It is being fought between Tanigaki, a 64-year-old veteran lawmaker, and the two 46-year-olds as younger LDP lawmakers have failed to unite behind a single candidate to make the race a two-way contest between the new generation and the old.