Fumio Kishida: New Japanese Leader Awaiting Prime Ministership

Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has won the ruling party's leadership election and is set to become the next Prime Minister. Kishida will replace the outgoing party leader, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is stepping down after just one year in office, having taken over in September of last year. Kishida's election as the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party means he will be elected Prime Minister on Monday in parliament, where his party and coalition partner hold a majority in the House of Representatives. Kishida defeated Taro Kono, the minister in charge of the vaccination campaign, in the runoff after leading over candidates Sanae Takaichi and Seiko Noda in the first round. The 64-year-old Kishida received 257 votes in the second round of the governing party's internal elections, compared to Kono's 170 votes. Kono, 58, is considered one of the most prominent political figures in the archipelago.