FACTBOX-Possible Democratic Party of Japan finance ministers

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July 13 (Reuters) - A Japanese election is expected at the end of next month and the opposition Democratic Party is leading the polls, yet it is not clear who it might appoint as finance minister to tackle the country's worst recession in six decades.

The Democrats have their best ever chance of ousting Prime Minister Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party, ending a half-century of nearly unbroken rule by the conservative pro-business party.

Following are some Democratic Party names seen by political analysts as possible candidates for finance minister and other leading minds behind its economic policy:

MASAHARU NAKAGAWA, 59:

Nakagawa is the party's current finance spokesman but sources at the party say the current "shadow cabinet" is largely symbolic and title holders, including Nakagawa, may not be in the cabinet in a Democrat-led government.

Nakagawa has said Japan should avoid buying U.S. government bonds denominated in dollars because of currency risk, and a Democratic Party government would continue to buy U.S. government bonds only if they were denominated in yen. [ID:nT239417]

EISUKE SAKAKIBARA, 68:

Known as "Mr Yen" for spearheading intervention in currency markets as a top finance ministry official in the 1990s, Sakakibara has recently called for a change in government.

He says drastic reforms would require breaking away with vested interests which he says have come to thrive after five decades of almost unbroken rule by the ruling LDP.

The Democrats tapped him as their candidate for finance minister in the 2003 election, when he was a professor at Keio University. Some media reports said Sakakibara was involved in drafting policy proposals for former party leader Ichiro Ozawa last year.

KATSUYA OKADA, 55 (turns 56 on July 14):

Some party officials say the post of finance minister may go to a veteran lawmaker Katsuya Okada, a policy expert with a "Mr Clean" image and the secretary general of the party.

Okada, a former trade ministry official, has said he wants the party to discuss how to tackle fiscal reform, including an increase in consumption tax, unlike Hatoyama, who has said the party should abandon such debate for now.

NAOTO KAN, 62:

Naoto Kan is another party veteran who, together with Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama, founded the party a decade ago.