Japan’s Suga Kicks Off Leadership Race as the Heavy Favorite
- Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga has enough support to win
- New prime minister is likely to take office next week
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Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party officially started its campaign for a new leader, with the man all but assured to take over from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe praising the democracy that allowed his political rise.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who already has enough backing from the LDP’s powerful factions to win the party vote next week, formally filed on Tuesday for the race to replace Abe, who’s stepping down for hetalth reasons. Two other contenders -- former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and ex-Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida -- also filed for the race.