Shigeru Ishiba, former defense minister and a candidate for

JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 10: Shigeru Ishiba, former defense minister and a candidate for the president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), speaks during a joint news conference with other candidates in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008. Japan shouldn't immediately raise its consumption tax from 5 percent because it might hinder economic growth, Aso Taro, the frontrunner to become prime minister, said. (Photo by Haruyoshi Yamaguchi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)