Tokyo: Fumio Kishida, the former Foreign Minister of Japan, was named the new Prime Minister of Japan. He will formally take the office on Monday.
Kishida was picked last week to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
He will succeed Yoshihide Suga, who decided to step down after just one year in office. Suga’s popularity plummeted following sharp criticism of his pandemic management.
Kishida defeated the popular vaccinations minister, Taro Kono, in a runoff after finishing only one vote ahead of him in the first round, in which none of the four candidates, including two women, was able to win a majority.
In a landslide 257-170 victory in the second round, Kishida received support from party heavyweights who apparently chose stability over change advocated by Kono, known as a maverick and a reformist.
