日本自民党总裁选举发布公告，5人参选

Core Viewpoint - The upcoming leadership election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is primarily focused on economic policies, particularly measures to address rising prices, as well as foreign and security policies. The election will take place on October 4, following a series of debates and discussions among the candidates [2][5][7]. Group 1: Candidates and Their Proposals - The candidates for the LDP leadership include former Economic Security Minister Takashi Kobayashi, former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. All five have previously participated in the presidential election in September 2024 [2][4]. - Takashi Kobayashi advocates for a flat tax reduction for young and working individuals to combat rising prices. Toshimitsu Motegi proposes a special local grant of several trillion yen to support living expenses. Yoshihide Suga suggests making a 1% annual increase in real wages a standard practice [5][6]. Group 2: Election Context and Process - This election marks the first leadership contest for the LDP after suffering significant losses in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors elections in 2024, resulting in the party becoming a minority ruling party. The ability to pass budgets and legislation will depend on cooperation with opposition parties [7]. - The election will utilize a "full-scale" voting method, where each LDP member of the Diet receives one vote, totaling 295 votes from Diet members, alongside an equal number of votes distributed to party members and supporters, resulting in a total of 590 votes [7]. - If no candidate secures a majority in the first round, the top two candidates will proceed to a runoff, where the weight of Diet member votes remains the same, but the distribution of party member votes will change [8].