The Democratic Party of Japan has scheduled an election on Saturday to choose a new leader to replace Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.
The DPJ is set to hold a joint meeting of members from both the lower and upper houses today to approve Noda’s resignation. The meeting will also finalize the schedule of the party leader election.
The list of possible candidates include Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada, DPJ policy chief Goshi Hosono, and National Policy Minister Seiji Maehara. The DPJ secured only 57 seats in the general election last Sunday, prompting Noda to resign as party chief.