The race to succeed Yoshihide Suga as LDP president and Japan’s 100th prime minister has important ramifications for the ruling party’s future, as it promises to be “a rare free-for-all” in which lawmakers will be voting as they wish instead of along faction lines, reports the Straits Times.

But there is also a “behind-the-scenes proxy war” for relevance, the article says. Research Director Sota Kato comments that Suga is supporting Taro Kono as a way of retaining his influence in the LDP.

“Japan’s Old Guard, Mavericks Battle for Supremacy in LDP Poll,” Straits Times
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/japans-old-guard-mavericks-battle-for-supremacy-in-ldp-poll

Profile of Research Director Sota Kato
https://www.tkfd.or.jp/en/experts/detail.php?id=29