When members of the Liberal Democratic Party go to the polls to elect a new president on Oct. 4, they will have a choice between relative newcomers pushing for a leadership change and political veterans touting the advantages of experience.
Either way, the party’s new chief must be able to balance working with senior party leaders while also showing the public that it is serious about reform by bringing in new blood and ideas — even if it risks riling up older members.
Among the five presidential candidates, 44-year-old agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi is the youngest.
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