DPJ to hold presidential election in Aug. to pick Kan's successor

TOKYO, Aug. 17 Kyodo - Senior lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Japan agreed Wednesday to hold its presidential election by the end of August to pick Prime Minister Naoto Kan's successor.
DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada is exploring the possibility of holding the election on Aug. 28 or Aug. 29 after securing parliamentary passage of key bills, the lawmakers said, adding he has conveyed those plans to Kan, the ruling party leader.
The lawmakers said they agreed at an executive meeting of the DPJ to give Okada a free hand in determining the exact date of the election.
Attention is focused on which candidate receives the backing of former DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa as he heads the largest group in the party. The group has about 120 lawmakers who are loyal to Ozawa, Kan's major political rival.
So far the Ozawa group has no plans to field a candidate of its own.
Ozawa, who soon is to go on trial for misreporting political funds, remained tight-lipped on Wednesday about who he may have in mind as the most desirable candidate to replace Kan as DPJ leader and prime minister.
At a fundraising gathering closed to the media, Ozawa said the next leader needs to have ''experience and knowledge (and) who could risk one's life on the job,'' according to one of the participants.
Ozawa also said it is important to maintain major policies pledged in the 2009 general election through which the party came to power, the participant said.
Possible DPJ lawmakers to run in the election include Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, farm minister Michihiko Kano and former transport minister Sumio Mabuchi.
Some DPJ lawmakers hope that former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, who has received relatively high support compared to other candidates in public opinion polls on Japan's next leader, will run in the election.
But Maehara told reporters Wednesday in the city of Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, that he has not made any plans for the election.