Japanese voters strongly support Taro Kono, minister in charge of fighting Covid-19, as the next prime minister according to a second opinion poll, as potential candidates prepare to join what has become a wide-open contest for ruling party leader.

According to a survey by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, 23 per cent of respondents said Kono, the minister in charge of vaccines, was the most suitable person to take over — echoing a Sunday poll that had 31.9pc favouring Kono.

A former foreign and defence minister, the 58-year-old Kono, educated at Georgetown University and a fluent English speaker, has built a popular following among young voters with an active social media presence in two languages and 2.3 million followers on his Japanese page alone.

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