TOKYO, Dec. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Monday called Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe a major candidate to succeed him as premier next year.

    Koizumi made the remarks at his office when asked about Abe's appearance in the US magazine Newsweek's "Who's next". "He is widely regarded as a major candidate for post-Koizumi leader and deserves attention," the Kyodo News quoted Koizumi as saying.

    Abe, 51, was named to his new, high-profile post in a Cabinet reshuffle in October and has been widely regarded as a top candidate successor of Koizumi.

    The hard-line politician was listed as one of the newsmakers in 2006 by Newsweek in its latest issue. The magazine believed that Abe would make headlines in the coming year, since Koizumi will step down in September 2006.

    Last month, polls conducted by several major Japanese newspapers showed that Abe received a larger part of support rate than other possible contenders to succeed Koizumi. Enditem