EX-DEFENCE CHIEF ISHIBA SET TO BECOME NEW JAPAN PM

TOKYO, Sept 27 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to become Japan's next prime minister after winning the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) presidential election on Friday in a runoff vote, defeating Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi.

In his fifth presidential bid, Ishiba secured 215 of the 414 votes cast by LDP lawmakers and rank-and-file members, while Takaichi received 194, Kyodo News Agency reported.

Ishiba, 67, is set to be named prime minister in parliament next Tuesday, bringing into focus when he will call a general election by dissolving the powerful House of Representatives.

The new leader faces the challenge of revamping a party stung by a slush funds scandal and restoring voter trust ahead of the not-so-distant national election.

His leadership skills will be put to the test as economic growth remains shaky against a backdrop of rising costs affecting households, while provocative actions by China, North Korea, and Russia continue to pose security threats to Japan.

The runoff vote was held after none of the record nine contenders secured a majority of the 735 votes cast by LDP lawmakers and rank-and-file members in the first round. Shinjiro Koizumi, the youngest candidate at 43, failed in his first attempt.

The vote came days after the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan elected former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda as its leader on Monday. Noda led Japan for around one year from 2011 under the predecessor party of the CDPJ.

Ishiba is known to be a policy expert well-versed in defence and regional revitalisation, is popular among local supporters but has struggled to expand his support among party lawmakers, one of the major reasons why his past four presidential bids have failed.

Backed by conservatives aligned with the late premier Shinzo Abe, known for his hawkish views, Takaichi, 63, aspired to become Japan's first-ever female prime minister. It was her second time running in a party leadership election.

The other contenders were former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 63, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, 71, former health minister Katsunobu Kato, 68, Digital Minister Taro Kono, 61, and LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi, 68.

During the 15-day campaign period, the longest on record, the nine candidates presented their visions for Japan, a rapidly aging nation with low growth potential and a key US ally in Asia, where the security environment is increasingly severe.

The wide field reflected the diminished power of intraparty factions, most of which have been forced to disband after the slush funds scandal related to fundraising parties, giving party members more freedom to vote according to their preferences.

Outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who defeated both Takaichi and Kono in 2021, also encouraged members of his Cabinet to compete in the race. However, the debates among the candidates, hosted by the LDP and media outlets, did not go into depth, partly due to time constraints.

While they shared the goal of revising Japan's war-renouncing Constitution, they differed on other contentious issues, such as whether to allow married couples to use different surnames, which some conservatives see as a challenge to traditional family values.

–BERNAMA-KYODO