Kishida is expected to take over as the prime minister at a parliamentary session on Monday.
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday named former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida its next leader, Reuters reported. The development puts him on the course to become the country’s prime minister in the next few days, replacing Yoshihide Suga. On September 3, Suga said he will not run for re-election as leader of the LDP. He has been facing widespread criticism for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Kishida, who reportedly enjoys a moderate public support, was backed by several senior party leaders in the race for the prime minister’s chair. In the party election, he faced competition from Minister for Administrative Reform Taro Kono, who was in charge of the coronavirus vaccine rollout in the country. In the initial vote for the LDP’s leadership, none of the four contenders received a majority, according to CNN.
