The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) plans to elect the party's chairman on September 14, after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his resignation.

The LDP delegates meet today and are scheduled to officially announce leadership election on September 14.

The LDP chairperson elected in the upcoming vote is almost certain to become the next prime minister to succeed Mr Abe, as the party holds a majority in Japan's parliament.

Abe's successor is expected to face many challenges in the fields of economics, diplomacy and security, in the context of the world's third largest economy facing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Public opinion polls show that in the race to succeed Abe, former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba is gaining high public support.

A survey last week by Kyodo News showed that the public support rate for Mr. Ishiba is 34%, much higher than the rate of 14% for Mr. Suga.

Mr. Suga, one of Abe's longtime aides, is enjoying the advantages with support from LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai and other major factions within the party.

LDP chief policy officer Fumio Kishida announced he would join the party leadership election, but he is on the last place in both opinion polls by Kyodo News and Nikkei Tokyo.

Brad Glosserman, an expert at Tama University, Tokyo, says Suga is seen as a "safe bet" by the LDP, but may not be the ideal choice when general elections are to be held at the end.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe last week announced his resignation for health reasons, which would end his time at Japan's longest serving prime minister.