Japan PM candidates differ on same-sex, women rights issues

FILE PHOTO: A combination picture shows the contenders for the presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan's State Minister In Charge Of Administrative Reform Taro Kono, Japan's former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan's former Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Japan's former Internal Affairs Minister Seiko Noda, during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, 17 September 2021. Kimimasa Mayama/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) - Candidates to become Japan's next prime minister all said they would have better policies to fight the pandemic and reduce the income gap during television debates on Friday, but they were split on diversity issues from same-sex marriage to married couples having separate surnames.

Whoever wins the Liberal Democratic Party presidency on Sept. 29 will become prime minister because of the LDP's majority in the lower house of parliament, and campaigning began in earnest on Friday with a series of televised debates.