TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Trade Minister Banri Kaieda and Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda will square off in a second-round ruling party leadership vote to pick a new prime minister on Monday after none of five candidates won a majority in an initial round.
The winner faces a raft of challenges including rebuilding from the devastating March 11 tsunami and ending a nuclear crisis, forging a new energy policy and finding funds to pay for the bulging social welfare costs of an ageing society while curbing public debt already twice the $5 trillion (3.05 trillion pound) economy.
The hurdles he will face, including a divided parliament and a fractious ruling party, have already raised concerns that Japan's new leader -- the country's sixth in five years -- may not last long.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan resigned as Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) leader last week after coming under fire for his response to the massive March quake and tsunami and the radiation crisis they triggered.
(Reporting by Shinichi Saoshiro and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
