Gaining increasing support from Liberal Democratic Party factions Friday, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda is certain to be the successor to outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

As the schedule for the presidential election was officially announced Friday with candidacies to be accepted Saturday, leaders of LDP factions expressed their support for Fukuda in the race set for Sept. 23.

Seven factions led by former LDP Secretary General Makoto Koga and former LDP General Council Chairman Yuya Niwa; former LDP Vice President Taku Yamasaki; former Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki; Education, Science and Technology Minister Bunmei Ibuki; LDP General Council Chairman Toshihiro Nikai; and Defense Minister Masahiko Komura endorsed Fukuda, who belongs to a faction led by Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura.

As Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga, who earlier expressed his intention to run in the race, has decided against running, the faction led by Yuji Tsushima, to which Nukaga belongs, also expressed its support to Fukuda.

Fukuda said the same day that the refueling activities of the Maritime Self-Defense Force for vessels of the U.S.-led multinational forces in the Indian Ocean must be continued.

Meanwhile, LDP Secretary General Taro Aso announced his bid to run in the election Friday afternoon.

"Now that the situation allows me to do so, I'd like to officially declare my candidacy," Aso said, referring to his asking Nikai to act for him as party secretary general earlier in the day.

Abe's successor will be elected with a vote by the party's 387 Diet members--304 from the House of Representatives and 83 from the House of Councillors--and 141 prefectural chapter representatives--three each from individual chapters.

Some LDP prefectural chapters plan to conduct a preliminary election to decide which candidate they will vote for, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey.

If all members of the 80-member Machimura faction, 46-member Niwa-Koga faction, 38-member Yamasaki faction, 25-member Ibuki faction, 15-member Tanigaki faction, 67-member Tsushima faction, 16-member Nikai faction and 15-member Komura faction vote for Fukuda, the total number of votes, at 302, would easily exceed 265, the majority of the total number of 528 votes.

Even if some members of the Niwa-Koga faction vote for Aso as speculated, Fukuda will have an advantage over Aso.

In a general meeting of the Machimura faction Friday morning, Fukuda made a de facto announcement that he would run in the presidential election.

"Since now is not an ordinary time, I feel I have to [seek the premiership]. It is indeed a time of emergency," Fukuda said.

In a meeting with Koga, Yamasaki and Tanigaki at the party headquarters, Fukuda conveyed his intention to run in the race and asked for their cooperation.

In response, the three faction leaders indicated their intention to support Fukuda in the election, according to sources.

Fukuda also asked for cooperation from Ibuki.

"I'll continue promoting reforms. At the same time, I'll focus on eliminating disparities in people's standard of living and those among regions as well as diplomacy," Fukuda reportedly told Ibuki in the meeting.

Ibuki in response told Fukuda that the entire party should deal with such issues, regardless of whether they are mainstream, according to sources.

Around noon Friday, Fukuda met with Nukaga, who decided to withdraw from the race, to ask for support in the presidential election. Nukaga accepted his request.

Speaking to reporters Friday evening, Fukuda said the MSDF refueling activities in the Indian Ocean were Japan's official pledge to the international community. He added, "It's a matter of course [for the government] to do its utmost to fulfill its promise."

The government and ruling coalition parties plan to submit to the Diet a new bill that will allow only the MSDF's refueling activities. The new bill would replace the Antiterrorism Law, which expires on Nov. 1.

"The course of actions have been narrowed down," Fukuda said. "The new bill is one route for solving the issue."

When asked about economic policy management, he said: "Structural reform itself is necessary. The direction for structural reform taken by the administration of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was right."

But he added, "It's necessary to modify it in step with changes in society."

Fukuda is expected to hold a press conference Saturday at which he will announce his official policy platforms for the presidential election.

Meanwhile, some members of the Tsushima and Niwa-Koga factions have expressed their support for Aso, according to sources.

Aso stressed the need to make the presidential election transparent, criticizing the moves of faction leaders to decide on candidates beforehand at the press conference where he declared his candidacy.

He said as many candidates as possible should stand in the election.

The system in which factions pick presidential candidates "will be criticized by the public as faction-led politics and backroom politics," he said.

He also criticized Fukuda, saying he lacks energy and passion as he only made up his mind to run after he was prodded to do so.

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Aso compiles election pledges


Meanwhile, Aso on Friday put together pledges for the presidential election, titled "Japan's Potential Power--Seeking Vitality and Security."

In his pledge, Aso made clear his stance to devote his efforts to resolving such issues as social disparities and economic hardship in provincial areas while promoting reforms.

Yomiuri

*Kicks Aso's hat out*

^ lol you wish

In lieu of bullets.

lol all of foreigners, if not, most of them will go through some $hitty life in japan if Aso becomes the next PM. and yes, that even goes to you white weeaboos out there...

"Poll: Fukuda landslide likely / Gains support of 213 LDP legislators; Aso trailing far behind"

Can't be arsed to post the article