TOKYO -THE five candidates running to replace Mr Yasuo Fukuda as head of Japan's ruling party and become the country's next prime minister were split on Friday on whether elections for parliament should be held soon as has been widely predicted.

In their final major speaking engagement before the ruling party selects its new president next Monday, the five were hesitant to comment on when broader elections for parliament should be held.

Polls indicate many Japanese voters want such elections so that they can have more of a say in who leads the country, and it had been widely reported in Japan that an election could be called as early as Oct 26.

But Mr Taro Aso, the front-runner in the party leadership race, said the issue remains fluid.

'None of us has said that date,' he said. 'It should not be taken lightly.'

One of Mr Aso's opponents, Mr Nobuteru Ishihara, meanwhile, said elections should be held 'as soon as possible,' while the other three stressed the importance of finishing up government business, including passing a budget, as high priorities in deciding when to hold the vote.

Only ruling party members can vote in the poll to choose its next leader. Whoever wins is virtually assured of becoming prime minister because the ruling party and its junior coalition partner hold a majority in the lower house of parliament, which makes the final decision.

Following Monday's party vote, parliament is to convene on Sept 24 and is expected to install the new prime minister.

Calls for general elections have gained steam after Mr Fukuda abruptly announced earlier this month that he was stepping down after only a year in office.

His predecessor, Mr Shinzo Abe, stepped down after less than a year on the job and the main opposition party, the Democrats, has been gaining in popularity.

On another sensitive topic, the candidates had different opinions on whether it would be appropriate for them to visit the Yasukuni Shrine while in office.

Visits to the shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, have been controversial because of the shrine's association with Japan's pre-1945 militarism. News of sitting prime ministers worshipping at the shrine usually bring protests from China and Korea.

Mr Ishihara said he would like to visit, because he has a relative enshrined there. Mr Aso, who is seen by many as a hawk, was vague in his response, but Mr Kaoru Yosano said flatly he would not go.

Former defense ministers Mr Yuriko Koike and Mr Shigeru Ishiba did not explicitly answer one way or the other, but said it is important to create an atmosphere in which the emperor can visit the shrine.

Emperor Akihito has not done so, and though he has not said why, his absence is believed to be the result of the shrine's controversial nature and the likely diplomatic fuss a visit would stir up. -- AP