(Sankei: April 28, 2015 – p. 5)

 By Masataka Mine in Cambridge, Massachusetts

 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a speech at Harvard University on April 27. In response to a question from a Harvard student during the question-and-answer session, Abe said, “In my party (Liberal Democratic Party), female members will gradually become my rivals. So, I have to prepare for such a situation,” provoking laughter from the audience.

 Abe will seek reelection as LDP president in the party leadership election in September. Who does he have in mind as a rival — former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike, former LDP General Council Chairperson Seiko Noda, or LDP policy chief Tomomi Inada, his close associate?