Photo : YONHAP News
Shigeru Ishiba has been elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and will be the country’s next prime minister.
The former defense minister won the election in a runoff vote Friday, defeating economic security minister Sanae Takaichi.
The 67-year-old Ishiba will replace the incumbent prime minister, Fumio Kishida, who announced last month that he would not run for a second term amid a slush fund scandal and falling approval ratings.
Known for his reconciliatory stance on relations with South Korea, Ishiba said on the verge of GSOMIA’s termination in 2019 that Japan had not adequately taken responsibility for its actions before and during World War II.
Ishiba has also called for reduced reliance on nuclear energy, and for the formation of an Asian version of the NATO security alliance to deal with threats from North Korea and China.
Ishiba’s term in office will begin Tuesday.