Ex-Japanese defense minister leads in polls to succeed Abe, but less popular within ruling party
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) celebrates with Shigeru Ishiba, the former defense minister who ran against him, after winning the Liberal Democratic Party leadership contest in Tokyo, Japan on September 20, 2018.
Former Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba is the most popular choice among the public to be the next prime minister, media opinion polls showed, as the race kicks off to succeed Shinzo Abe after his abrupt resignation last week.
Ishiba has about 34 percent of the public's support, more than double the 14 percent for Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the second-most popular choice, a weekend Kyodo News survey showed.
A Nikkei/TV Tokyo poll showed Ishiba with 28 percent support, followed by current Defense Minister Taro Kono with 15 percent and Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi – son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi – at 14 percent. Suga came in fourth place with 11 percent, the poll showed.
Another potential candidate, LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida, came in last place in both of the public opinion surveys. The mild-mannered former foreign minister is considered Abe's personal choice for successor.
