Fumio Kishida Approved By Parliament To Become Japan's 100th Prime Minister

Kishida won 257 votes in a fierce battle to defeat Taro Kono, a popular minister who previously held the positions of defence and foreign minister.

Leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Fumio Kishida walks after casting his ballot to elect a new prime minister at the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on October 4, 2021. | AFP

New Delhi: Fumio Kishida is set to become the Japan's next prime minister after Parliament voted on Monday to approve the new leader. Kishida will be the 100th Prime Minister of Japan. He is also expected to announce a cabinet including both old and new faces.

Coming from a political family, Kishida decided to contest this year despite an unsuccessful run for office in 2020, when he lost against Suga.  

The 64-year-old soft-spoken scion of a Hiroshima political family, Kishida beat popular vaccine chief Taro Kono to win leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party last week.

Kishida won 257 votes in a fierce battle to defeat Taro Kono, a popular minister who previously held the positions of defence and foreign minister. 

Back in September, incumbent Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had announced his decision not to run for the head of LDP signalling his resignation as head of government.

According to reports, Toshimitsu Motegi will be retained as foreign minister while Hirokazu Matsuno will become Chief Cabinet Secretary. Kishida plans to dissolve the House of Representatives on October 14.

It will not be easy for Kishida to fill in Suga’s shoes as he takes over the reign amid stagnant economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic, the effects of an unprecedented public health crisis, and increased political manoeuvring by China.

“Our national crisis continues. We need to keep working hard on the coronavirus response with strong determination, and we need to compile tens of trillions of yen of stimulus package by the end of the year,” Kishida said in his acceptance speech. His first big goal as Japan’s new premier will be to lead the LDP to victory in the upcoming general election.