5 possible successors to Japan's premiership after Abe resigns
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Friday that he will step down from his post for health reasons.
Here are some potential successors within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Unsurprisingly, all of them are men!
Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso:
Aso, 79, is expected to succeed Abe as interim prime minister. Aso, who is known for his slip of the tongue, is also finance minister.
And if he does become interim prime minister, this could stimulate the opposition camp.
In 2009, when Aso was prime minister, his government’s popularity declined, and that main opposition party, the Democratic Party, helped topple the LDP. The victory ended more than half a century of nearly uninterrupted LDP rule.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga:
Since Abe’s inauguration in December 2012, Suga has become the government spokesman and is officially known as the Chief Cabinet Secretary. Only Aso and Suga, 71, have kept their posts since the Abe government began.
Defense Minister Taro Kono:
Kono, 57, was foreign minister for a little over a year before assuming the current position.
And unlike many Japanese politicians, Kono, who graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in the United States, is an outspoken parliamentarian who has opposed nuclear power generation. His father, Yohei Kono, had been a long-time speaker of the House of Representatives.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba:
Japanese media have always talked about Ishiba, 63, as a possible successor to Abe. A railroad enthusiast, Ishiba took leadership positions in the LDP as secretary general and chair of the party's Policy Research Council.
Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida
Kishida held the position of foreign minister for more than four and a half years and headed one of the largest wings in the LDP. Kishida, 63, chairs the party's Policy Research Council. He is still a mysterious figure.
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