Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga is the favourite to be the next prime minister.
Suga has yet to officially announce he is running for the top job, after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last week he would resign over health problems.
Local media said candidates will be required to register their run on September 8 -- with campaigning beginning immediately after. A leadership contest would usually poll ruling-party lawmakers and LDP members nationwide. But the LDP has opted for a constrained format, polling only its MPs and three representatives from each of the country's 47 prefectures.
"If we were to hold a full-scale election, it would take two months. With the prime minister's health, two months is very long. We can't take that long," he said.While several candidates have emerged for the race, Suga appears to have built an insurmountable support base within the party. Former defence minister Ishiba, who announced his run on Tuesday, polls well with the general public but is less popular among party members.
He had often been described as Abe's favoured successor, but the outgoing prime minister has said he will not endorse a candidate, and Kishida's limited public profile may pose a problem as he launches a challenge to the likes of Suga.
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