Taro Aso on Tuesday indicated he would seek to become Japan’s next prime minister, saying he believed he was “qualified to carry out” policy objectives set out by Yasuo Fukuda, the departing prime minister.

“I would like to responsibly carry out what Prime Minister Fukuda could not accomplish and, since I have my own views about what I must do, I would like to implement those policies as well,” Mr Aso, who is widely seen as the favoured candidate to take over the reins, told reporters on Tuesday.