abstract:is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, Koga Faction. He is a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature), currently serving his third term in the Upper House representing Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Three other candidates contested the leadership - Nobuteru Ishihara, son of Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, Nobutaka Machimura, the former foreign minister, and YoshimasaHayashi, another former defence minister.
The LDP, which gave more detail on the need for higher consumption taxes in its manifesto, found the idea gained little momentum, said YoshimasaHayashi, a politician in the party who campaigned with upper-house candidates in rural areas.