This does not help the cause of the front-runner, Shinzo Abe, the 51-year-old cabinet secretary.

ECONOMIST: Who will replace Junichiro Koizumi?

By the same token, the odds have improved for Yasuo Fukuda, a grand old party man who belongs to the same faction as Mr Abe.

ECONOMIST: Japan's succession: After he's gone | The

Early reports on the premiership of Japan's Shinzo Abe have him either furthering the liberalization thrust of Junichiro Koizumi or restoring the insular old guard of the Liberal Democratic Party--or both.

FORBES: Through the Looking Glass

Noda, 54 years old, is the third youngest prime minister in the post-war period, two years older than Abe Shinzo and a few months older than Tanaka Kakue when they assumed the office.

FORBES: As Prime Minister, Noda May Offer Something New