Japan's ruling party elects its fifth leader in as many years Saturday, charged with reviving its flagging fortunes as a new anti-immigration grouping snaps at its heels.

The frontrunners for the Liberal Democratic Party's top seat are Sanae Takaichi, a China hawk who would be Japan's first woman premier, and the youthful but potentially out-of-his-depth Shinjiro Koizumi.

But LDP members and MPs might choose instead the safer -- if unexciting -- Yoshimasa Hayashi, dubbed "Mr. 119" after Japan's emergency phone number.

The winner will almost certainly be approved by parliament as prime minister, a step that local media say could come the week of October 13.

He or she will face a host of complex issues including an ageing population, geopolitical upheaval, a faltering economy and growing

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