Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba has secured the post of Japan’s prime minister on his fifth attempt, emerging victorious in a highly competitive race among nine candidates to succeed Fumio Kishida.
Ishiba, 67, will be sworn in as Japan’s 102nd prime minister by the Diet on Oct. 1, the same day Kishida officially steps down.
In a run-off vote, Ishiba defeated hardline nationalist Sanae Takachi, according to Reuters, in one of Japan’s most unpredictable leadership elections in decades, with a record number of nine candidates.