Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s former defense minister, delivers his campaign speech for the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) presidential election in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
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Former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba has won his fifth bid to become the leader of Japan’s ruling party on Friday, lining him up to become the country’s next prime minister.
Ishiba defeated economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, who was vying to become Japan’s first female prime minister, in a runoff after the two won the most votes in the first round in a crowded field of nine candidates.
The 67-year-old veteran politician will succeed outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who threw the Liberal Democratic Party for a loop when he announced in August that he would not be running for its top office, effectively ending his three-year term.
Ishiba is now expected to be approved as prime minister in a vote by parliament on Oct. 1 due to the LDP having a majority in both chambers of the legislature, effectively ensuring its chief becomes the next prime minister.
The election outcome is set to have major implications for Japan, with Ishiba inheriting a party marked by a corruption scandal, an economy in a precarious transition from years of stagnation, and emerging security and diplomatic threats on the world stage.
Fifth time’s a charm
Ishiba’s victory ends a streak of four previously failed runs and appears to have come as a surprise to many. A local media report on Tuesday had suggested that some of his past actions and outspoken nature had made him unpopular among his peers.
Meanwhile, a hashtag “First woman prime minister,” had been trending on social media platform X in Japanese after Takaichi netted the most votes in the first round.
Takaichi, 63, was one of two women in the race and had argued that Japan’s economy needed more fiscal stimulus and to strengthen in fields including diplomacy and defense.
Polls had suggested that the favorites in the election had also included ex-environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi alongside Takaichi and Ishiba. However, the politician, who was vying to be Japan’s youngest ever prime minister, was unable to secure enough votes to advance to the next round.