Kishida to become Japan’s next PM after party vote

Reuters | Tokyo

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Former foreign minister Fumio Kishida won on Wednesday a race to lead Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), virtually ensuring that he will succeed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the post within days.

The soft-spoken centrist defeated popular vaccine chief Taro Kono in an unusually close race to succeed Suga, who decided to step down after just a year in office.

Earlier, Kishida and Kono, the top contenders to become Japan’s next prime minister, had not obtained a majority in an initial four-way vote.