Shigeru Ishiba has won the leadership election of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is set to become the country’s next prime minister.
The former defence minister, 67, prevailed on Friday in a tight contest, defeating Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, 63, in a run-off after none of the nine candidates won a majority in the first round of voting earlier in the day.
The final count was 215-194.
“This is a remarkable victory for Ishiba, who is considered a veteran of the LDP,” said Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride, reporting from Tokyo. “This is his fifth attempt trying to get the LDP’s top job.”
Takaichi would have become Japan’s first female prime minister if she had won the leadership race.
“She’s a fairly renowned, right-wing and hawkish figure, she would have made history not only in the LDP, but also Japan as [the country’s] first woman prime minister,” said McBride, reporting from outside parliament.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his decision to resign in August amid a series of corruption scandals within the LDP, the largest party in parliament.
The party’s majority in the legislature means the winner of the leadership race is certain to be formally elected as the 65th prime minister by parliament on October 1.
Ishiba is popular with the public but has failed four times to secure the LDP’s top job.
‘Make country safe and secure’
In brief comments made to lawmakers before the run-off, Ishiba called for a fairer and kinder Japan and tears welled in his eyes after the final results were read out.
“I will do my utmost to believe in the people, to speak the truth with courage and sincerity, and to make this country a safe and secure place where everyone can live with a smile on their face once again,” he said in a short speech.
Ishiba’s campaign focused heavily on security issues, and he has indicated he will push for more oversight over the United States’s use of its bases in Japan.
“He is seen as a defence expert. He has proposed the establishment of an Asian-style NATO. And he is likely to continue with a more assertive Japan on the international stage,” said Al Jazeera’s McBride.
Following the result, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Beijing wants to improve ties with Japan, because “the long-term, sound and steady development of China-Japan relations serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples.”
Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, “It’s the only appropriate choice.”
Ishiba is a supporter of Taiwan’s democracy, although Japan, like most countries, does not have formal diplomatic ties with the Chinese-claimed island.
Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te is looking forward to deepening ties with the LDP under Ishiba’s leadership, his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said.
Both parties have a deep friendship and Lai has always attached great importance to the development of relations, the DPP added.
LDP presidents are in office for three years and can serve up to three straight terms.
The LDP has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades, with the main opposition parties rarely seen as viable alternatives.
Japan’s new prime minister must face down regional security threats, from an increasingly assertive China and its deepening defence ties with Russia to North Korea’s banned missile tests.
At home, the leader will also be tasked with breathing life into the economy, as the central bank moves away from decades of monetary easing that has slashed the value of the yen.
The yen bounced back on Friday, recovering earlier losses, after the victory of Ishiba, who is seen as a critic of past aggressive monetary stimulus.
At a news conference following his victory, Ishiba pledged he “will ensure Japan emerges from deflation”, promising to accelerate Kishida’s policies aimed at boosting household income through wage hikes.
A former agriculture minister, he has also called for more efforts to address rural depopulation.
Ishiba has pledged to push for more diversity and gender equality and has supported a revision to a 19th-century civil code that requires married couples to choose one of their surnames. Moves to change the code have stalled for decades because of LDP opposition.
At a recent speech in Tokyo, Ishiba said Japanese women are among the shortest sleepers in the world because of their heavy responsibilities both at work and at home. He said most husbands, including himself, hardly help with childrearing and homemaking.
“The fact that he is something of a maverick, considered as a change agent, who has promised to change the party, that may well resonate with a cynical Japanese public,” according to McBride.
