Former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba will become Japan's next prime minister after winning the ruling party's leadership vote on Friday, September 27, the official count showed.
The party leadership win is a ticket to the top job because the Liberal Democratic Party’s ruling coalition currently controls the parliament.
Considered a defense policy expert, Ishiba has proposed an Asian version of the NATO military alliance and a more equal Japan-US security alliance. Ishiba is a supporter of Taiwan's democracy. He calls for an establishment of a disaster management agency in one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
Ishiba beat out Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative who was running to become the country's first female prime minister. A record nine lawmakers, including two women, ran in a vote decided by LDP members of parliament and about one million dues-paying party members. That's only 1% of the country’s eligible voters.
Outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been dogged by party corruption scandals, and the LDP wanted a fresh leader in hopes of regaining public trust before a likely general election.
Some experts believe that party turmoil could mean that Japan will return to an era similar to the early 2000s, which saw "revolving door" leadership changes and political instability. A succession of short-lived governments hurts Japanese prime ministers' ability to set up long-term policy goals or develop trusted relations with other leaders.