WNAM REPORT: On September 27, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) elected Shigeru Ishiba as its new leader, who will replace Fumio Kishida as Japan’s prime minister, as correspondent reports.
Ishiba secured 215 votes in the runoff. The winner of the LDP’s leadership election is certain to become prime minister, given that both houses of parliament are controlled by the ruling coalition. He is expected to appoint new LDP executives on Monday and form his Cabinet after being officially elected as prime minister during an extraordinary Diet session starting on Tuesday.
Shigeru Ishiba, a veteran LDP politician, is running for party leadership for the fifth time. Mentored by former Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei, Ishiba supports moderate economic reforms, social system changes, a balanced U.S.-Japan security relationship, and constructive ties with China.
Sanae Takaichi, who was vying to become Japan’s first woman leader, secured 194 votes. Shinjiro Koizumi, the youngest candidate and the son of the widely popular former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, was another strong contender but didn’t advance to the final round.
The other candidates were former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, former top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi and Digital Minister Taro Kono.
