Japan Minister Kono Gains Support in Party Race

After the news of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s resignation, covid vaccine minister Taro Kono went on to announce his candidacy. Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will be conducting a leadership election by the end of the month which will further pave way for presidency.
Other candidates who have stepped forward to participate in the elections include former foreign minister Fumio Kishida and former internal minister Sanae Takaichi.
Taro Kono may soon be making his candidacy public through a news conference in coming days. Former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters that the members are unsure of who will receive their support in a leadership vote.
Shigeru and Kono are both considered as renowned lawmakers which are likely to receive favorable votes. Members of the LDP party are expected to vote in the leadership elections along with other members of the parliament.
With regards to economic policy, Fumio Kishida has proposed a pandemic stimulus package for more than 30 trillion yen which will be funded by issuing bonds. He said, “We must support the economy with large scale monetary easing and fiscal stimulus to protect people’s lives from the pandemic.”
But on the other hand, Taro has indicated a cautious stance after the call for the stimulus was announced. Taro told reporters, “It would not be easy to agree on such talk without talking the actual situation into account. There’s no way to comment without knowing on what the 30 trillion yen would be spent on.”
Takaichi has also displayed his interest in running for Prime Minister as he has the support of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.