Former foreign minister Taro Aso is the clear underdog in the race to become Japan's next prime minister. But among young Japanese fans of pop culture, Aso is king.
An avowed booster of manga comic books and animation known as anime, Aso has won the support of fans -- called otaku, or nerds -- for his promise to promote Japanese pop art overseas.
"Aso is a true nerd. He should be prime minister!" said Asami Suzuki, a 20-year-old college student shopping for comics in Akihabara, a Tokyo neighborhood filled with comic book shops and electronic goods.
"He understands that manga and anime are so important to Japan's image," Suzuki said.
While foreign minister, Aso -- a conservative with hawkish foreign policy views -- argued that warm feelings for Japanese pop culture can translate into warm feelings for its foreign policy.
Under his leadership, Japanese water tanks deployed as humanitarian aid to Iraq were emblazoned with an image of a cutesy cartoon soccer player. Aso also oversaw the launch of the International Manga Award, an honor he has likened to "a Nobel Prize" for the genre.
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