Tokyo - The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will vote to replace recently resigned prime minister Yasuo Fukuda as head of the party that has dominated Japan for more than 50 years, officials said Sunday. Taro Aso, who turned 68 on Saturday, is seen as the most likely candidate to win the party vote Monday. Contenders include former defence minister Yuriko Koike, 56, who is the first female candidate to run for the LDP presidency; Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano, 70; former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, 51; and former LDP policy chief Nobuteru Ishihara, 51.
The winner would be assured of becoming Japan's prime minister, because the party controls the House of Representatives in the Diet, or parliament.
Fukuda announced his resignation on September 1 after he served as premier for less than a year.
Known as a manga comic fan, Aso has run for party chief three times before. The veteran politician has held several ministerial posts, including foreign minister and internal affairs and communications minister.
As Japan's economy stagnates and food and oil prices rise, Aso and Ishiba said they would push for increases in public spending to boost the economy while Yosano called for raising consumption taxes to protect Japan's social security and medical insurance systems.
In the party election, the five candidates will vie for 528 ballots - 387 from members of the Diet, and 141 from prefecture representatives. If no candidate wins an absolute majority, a runoff election would be held between the top two vote-getters.
The new party leader could also contest a general election, as speculation grows that the lower house may be dissolved on October 26.
