Parliamentary vote to pick new Japan PM arranged for Oct. 21
The government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are making final arrangements for the parliamentary vote to choose Japan's next prime minister to be held on Oct. 21, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday, Kyodo reports.
The vote by lawmakers to pick the successor to outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, previously planned for this week, is expected to take place on the first day of an envisaged extraordinary parliament session, according to the sources.
However, there is a possibility it could be pushed back further amid intensifying maneuvering between the LDP, under new president Sanae Takaichi, and the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan to win support from other political groups for the vote.
After Takaichi's victory in the LDP leadership contest on Oct. 4, her party's junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, announced Friday its exit from the ruling bloc criticizing its longtime ally's handling of a slush funds scandal.
The LDP is the largest force in both chambers of parliament but lacks a majority in either, and the prospect of Takaichi, a staunch conservative and former internal affairs minister, being elected Japan's first female prime minister remains unclear.
The CDPJ has been calling on other opposition forces to unite behind a joint candidate, and its head Yoshihiko Noda has said that backing Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, could be an option.
Earlier, Kazinform reported that Sanae Takaichi may become the first woman to hold the post of the Japanese prime minister.
