TOKYO (AFP) — The photogenic son of a former premier, a hardline nationalist hoping to become Japan’s first woman prime minister and an experienced, Beatles-loving moderate are leading the race to take the country’s highest political post. 

Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64, a Harvard-educated scion of a political dynasty, is a passionate fan of the Beatles who plays guitar and piano, and is in a band with fellow Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politicians.

As foreign minister at a Group of Seven meeting in Liverpool in 2021, Hayashi took to a white piano at the Beatles Story Museum and sang “Imagine” in front of other top diplomats that included former United States secretary of state Antony Blinken and Liz Truss, British foreign secretary at the time.

A fluent English speaker, Hayashi says he learned the language by studying Beatles songs.

He has served as the chief cabinet secretary for two successive moderate prime ministers — incumbent Ishiba and Fumio Kishida — and has pledged to continue their programs.

A deft political hand, Hayashi has worked in a wide range of ministerial positions, including agriculture, defense, diplomacy, education and fiscal policy. Hayashi has also been tapped to lead ministries at short notice, replacing scandal-hit ministers.

Also in the PM race, Sanae Takaichi, 64, was once a drummer in a college heavy metal band and looks to Margaret Thatcher as her political hero.

Her rise comes as the LDP has been losing voters, particularly to Sanseito, a new nationalist party that expanded its support with anti-immigration messages.