Tokyo - A newspaper poll published Sunday showed most Japanese voters want Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, a conservative, to be the country's next leader, a day after he was endorsed by current Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe (C), flanked by Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki (L) and Foreign Minister Taro Aso, delivers a stump speech in front of a crowd at Tokyo's Akihabara district September 9, 2006. [Reuters]

Abe and two other contenders, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and Foreign Minister Taro Aso, are vying for the top post in the governing Liberal Democratic Party in September 20 balloting. Koizumi's term expires later this month.

The LDP leader is almost certain to become Japan's next prime minister because of the party's strong majority in Parliament.

On Sunday, the three candidates traveled separately outside Tokyo to appeal to local supporters.

Koizumi broke his silence late Saturday on his endorsement. "I will cast my vote for Mr. Abe," he said in Helsinki, Finland, where he is attending an Asia-Europe Meeting. "Since I became prime minister, Mr. Abe ... has been the closest to me and helped me move ahead with reforms."

Abe "has done a superb job and earned recognition as a future leader," Koizumi said.

Public opinion polls have also put Abe far ahead of the other two candidates.

In a survey published by the national Asahi newspaper on Sunday, 54 percent of respondents picked the 51-year-old Abe as most suited to be the next prime minister, while Tanigaki and Aso were chosen by only about 10 percent each. The remaining respondents were undecided.

The respondents overwhelmingly cited "personality and image" and "youthfulness" as reasons for picking Abe, while only a fraction took note of his policies, the survey said. Only 11 percent of respondents said they knew Abe's political agenda.

Abe's popularity depends heavily on his good looks and gentle image, especially among women, said the Asahi, which interviewed 1,055 voters in the September 8-9 telephone survey.

"The LDP leadership race lacks excitement," the newspaper said. "It's not just because the outcome is predictable, but because candidates lack personal charm and their debates are boring."

The LDP leader will be elected by party politicians and members, not by the general public.

During a policy debate on Saturday, Abe said Japan's economy will benefit if the country more aggressively promotes free trade across Asia.

Abe renewed his calls for Japan to build a stronger military and push ahead with economic reforms. He also reiterated his intention to revise Japan's US-drafted 1947 pacifist Constitution, which renounces the use of force in settling international disputes.

Abe said he would seek to improve relations with Japan's Asian neighbors, and pledged to preserve Japan's alliance with the United States.

Tanigaki, 61, who has criticized Koizumi's Asian diplomacy and his visits to a controversial war shrine, is presenting himself as the candidate with economic credentials who can mend Japan's foreign relations.

Aso, oldest among the three at 65, is stressing his experience and has focused on economic reform and on maintaining Japan's defense alliance with Washington.