Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba will be Japan’s next Prime Minister, succeeding the incumbent Fumio Kishida whose term is ending this month.
Ishiba won the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ‘s leadership vote on Friday, the media reported.
The LDP holds a majority in the Lower House of Parliament, effectively securing Ishiba’s position as the next PM.
Kishida, who leads the LDP, is stepping down because his term in office was plagued by several scandals.
Shigeru Ishiba will likely take office as the PM when Parliament reconvenes in October. Of the nine candidates vying for the position, he secured 215 votes, defeating economic security minister Sanae Takaichi by only 21 votes.
Ishiba was born on February 4, 1957. After schooling in the Tottori prefecture, he moved to Tokyo and studied law at Keio University. Until 1983, he worked at Mitsui Bank and then switched to a career in politics.
In 1986, he became the youngest member of the House of Representatives, contesting from the Tottori prefecture as a candidate from the LDP.
Over the years Ishiba served as parliamentary vice minister of agriculture in 1993, defense minister and minister for overcoming population decline and vitalizing the local economy, among others.
He also contested the election against former PM Shinzo Abe in 2012.
Leading the world’s fourth-largest economy, Ishiba has to tackle problems like decreasing inflation, improving wages, reducing dependence on nuclear energy, and addressing security threats from China and North Korea.
According to France24, he also plans to improve Japan’s low birth rate by expanding support for parents and revitalizing regional economies.