TOKYO: Fumio Kishida won the presidential election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Wednesday, with the presumed next Prime Minister facing imminent, crucial tasks such as addressing a pandemic-hit economy and ensuring a strong alliance with Washington amid growing regional security risks.
As the LDP-led coalition constitutes a majority in both chambers of the parliament in Japan, the new party president is almost certain to be elected prime minister in the extraordinary Diet session scheduled to be held on October 4, succeeding the incumbent Yoshihide Suga, according to reports.
In the first round of votes, Ex-Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida came in first with 256, only one vote ahead of Taro Kono, the Vaccinations Minister, but failed to win a majority and moved to a runoff between the two. Among the two female candidates, unusual for male-dominated Japanese politics, ultra-conservative Sanae Takaichi and liberal-leaning Seiko Noda won 188 votes and 63 votes respectively, dropping out of the race.
Kishida, who has more support from party heavyweights’ support, is believed to be in a better position than Mr Kono in a runoff, which largely reflects a party power struggle. The new leader also needs to change the party’s high-handed reputation, worsened by the outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga who angered the public over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and insistence on holding the Olympics in Tokyo this past summer.
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