(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-09-17 16:56

"I want to resolve the issue of abduction personally. I want everyone to trust me and give me your support," Fukuda said. "Once they return and North Korea decides to give up its nuclear (program) and missiles, we can establish diplomatic relations."

Fukuda, 71, once the longest serving top government spokesman, has said he would be strong with Pyongyang, but would take a softer line over the abduction issue than Abe did. Abe's hard-line insistence on a resolution threatened to upset negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons.

Aso, however, took a hard-line position.

"People say dialogue, but there has never been any dialogue without pressure," he said. "I think we must learn from past experiences."

Pyongyang returned five abductees in 2002, claiming the rest were dead. Abe had demanded proof that no more Japanese were in North Korea, and refused to give aid to the country under a regional disarmament deal earlier this year.

During a talk show Sunday, Aso, 66, did not contest a moderator's suggestion that Fukuda would most likely win the election, in which votes are cast by LDP lawmakers and regional representatives. But he said he decided to run "if only for the sake of holding an open election."

Both candidates have said Japan cannot afford to drop out of the global war on terrorism and must extend the country's naval mission in support of US-led coalition troops.

Since 2001, Japan's navy has been providing fuel for coalition forces in Afghanistan under an anti-terrorism law that has been extended three times.

Abe had staked his job on pushing through the extension of the naval mission. But he resigned abruptly on Wednesday, leaving the future of the mission in limbo and triggering political confusion in the world's second-biggest economy.

The premier was later hospitalized for exhaustion and stress-related stomach problems.

Yomiuri interviewed 1,047 voters while Asahi conducted interviews with 1,152. No margin of error was provided for the two polls, both conducted by phone.

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