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Liputan6.com, Tokyo: Japanese Finance Minister Naoto Kan, Thursday (3 / 6), emerged as the leading candidate to replace Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned yesterday. Kan (63), who is Deputy Prime Minister and in January earlier served as Minister of Finance, has declared his intention to run on the ballot to be held next Friday.

Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported, support for Kan is widening in the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Meanwhile, the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper said, Kan victory is sure and can already be decided without a vote. Since serving as Minister of Finance, Kan pressing state spending and raise taxes to tackle Japan's public debt soared by almost 200 percent of gross domestic product.

Hatoyama substitute other potential candidates, including Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Transport Katsuya Okada Seiji Maehara. Yesterday morning, Hatoyama resigned because of failing to move the United States air base from Okinawa to the Futenma [read: Japanese Prime Minister resigns]. (AST / ANS / AFP)