Not so fast, Rozen Aso!
Yesterday we commented on the possible candidacy of Taro Aso, the hard-ass otaku who some consider a shoo-in as Prime Minister of Japan. But, another possible contender has arisen – former news anchorwoman Yuriko Koike. To my knowledge she’s not into geeky stuff like Aso, but she is cuter.
(At right: Condoleeza Rice presses palms with Ms. Koike and Aso)
“I want to consider what we need in general, rather than my own individual situation,” Koike told reporters when asked if she would seek the top job.
“I’m contacting various people since you can’t play a baseball game all by yourself.”
Hidenao Nakagawa, the former number two of the party and a backroom fixer, hinted at his support for Koike, calling for a leader who backs free-market reforms that have lost steam in the past two years.
“We have to pick a candidate among reformists,” Nakagawa said after meeting with Koike.
Koike, an expert on the Middle East and fluent in both English and Arabic, is known for her close ties with reformist premier Junichiro Koizumi, who was popular during his 2001-2006 tenure.
She belongs to the LDP’s largest faction. Its head, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, voiced support for a competitive race.
The vote is for the LDP’s president, who then becomes prime minister.
“All of us share the view that it’s desirable for the LDP, which has been driven to the edge of a cliff in a sense, to hold an active, fair election to elect its president,” said Machimura, the government number two.
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