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Japan
This Week in AsiaPolitics

Fumio Kishida: LDP’s pick for Japan PM won’t ‘rock the boat’ on US and China, experts say

  • The ruling party’s stalwarts defied public opinion after polls indicated vaccine minister Taro Kono as having broad support
  • Kishida’s victory represents continuity for the party and shows the influence of the old guard and former premier Shinzo Abe, observers say

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The LDP’s new leader Fumio Kishida (R) celebrates with outgoing PM Yoshihide Suga. Photo: AFP
Julian Ryall
The “old guard” of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Wednesday once again defied popular will by electing Fumio Kishida as the new leader of both the party and the nation, with more critical analysts suggesting that party elders wanted a “puppet” who would bend to their wishes rather than a younger maverick as prime minister.
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Kishida, a 64-year-old former foreign minister, was elected in a second round of voting with 257 votes from LDP politicians, after none of the initial four candidates won a majority in the first stage.

His main rival, 58-year-old Taro Kono, won more votes in the first round thanks largely to the support of rank-and-file LDP members, but fell victim to factional rivalries and the conviction of the conservative wing of the party that he is too centrist and reform-minded.

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In the first round of voting, Kono won 169 votes from regional chapters of the party, as opposed to just 110 for Kishida.

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Who is Japan’s next Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida?

Who is Japan’s next Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida?

Those figures tallied with opinion polls conducted ahead of the vote, with 47.4 per cent of party members supporting Kono over just 22.4 per cent backing Kishida. It was a similar story in the wider Japanese public, where close to 50 per cent wanted Kono as their next leader.

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