Abe's low-key foreign minister watched as potential rival

Tokyo

A SELF-EFFACING former banker, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida isn't known for courting publicity in a way that comes naturally to most politicians.

So when he appeared this month with a comedian clad in clashing animal prints to promote a United Nations programme, Japanese media outlets splashed the photos across newspapers and websites. The display also added to speculation that the normally low-key Mr Kishida might be gearing up for a run to replace his increasingly unpopular boss, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"Kishida has always been quiet and had a princely air," said Takeshi Iwaya, a fellow lawmaker with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a friend since the two were students together at Tokyo's Wased…