Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi tried to stand out from those widely seen as the front-runners of the Liberal Democratic Party’s upcoming leadership vote in announcing his formal entry into the race Tuesday.
Often seen as the hope of LDP conservatives, Kobayashi underscored his commitment to a “moderate conservatism” in what appeared to be an attempt to appeal to larger swaths of party supporters outside conservative circles.
“I won’t discard existing systems under the guise of reform,” Kobayashi, 50, told a news conference in Tokyo, adding that reform shouldn’t come at the expense of drastic societal change.
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