Kishida set to become next prime minister

The Liberal Democratic Party elected Fumio Kishida as its 27th president on Wednesday. Kishida, 64, will be appointed the prime minister in an extraordinary Diet session to be convened on Oct. 4. His term as party president runs through Sept. 30, 2024. The former LDP Policy Research Council chairperson earned 257 votes in a runoff to defeat Taro Kono, the administrative and regulatory reform minister, who won 170 votes.

The LDP election was held after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s announcement he would not seek reelection to lead the ruling party.

In the first round, four candidates vied for 764 votes, half from Diet members and half based on votes from rank-and-file members and members of affiliated groups.

Kishida finished in the top spot with 256 votes, while Kono, 58, earned the second-most ballots with 255. They were followed by former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi with 188 and LDP Executive Acting Secretary General Seiko Noda with 63.

As none of the four won a majority, Kishida and Kono participated in a runoff that involved 382 votes from Diet members and one vote from each of the LDP’s 47 prefectural chapters.

Many lawmakers who supported Takaichi in the first round likely voted for Kishida in the runoff.

During the campaign, Kishida stressed his commitment to party reform. He pledged to “restore political confidence by listening to the voices of the people,” through such means as placing term limits on the party’s executive posts.

Kishida served as foreign minister for four years and seven months in the second administration of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, giving him the second-longest tenure of a postwar foreign minister after former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida. In last year’s presidential election, Kishida earned the second-most votes after Suga.

Once appointed, Kishida will be the 100th prime minister. The ordinal numbers used in the official counting of prime ministers are based on the term between the person being appointed as prime minister to form a cabinet and their resignation. Therefore, the number increases each time a “new” prime minister takes office, even if the same person assumes the post on multiple occasions. For this reason, the ordinal number is higher than the actual number of individuals who have served as prime minister.

(Published in print on Sept. 30) EXCERPTS FROM VICTORY SPEECH

The following is an excerpt from Fumio Kishida’s victory speech delivered after being elected as president of the Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday:

“About a month ago on Aug. 26, I announced my candidacy for the presidential election. Many people had urgently called out that their voices do not reach political ears or that they cannot trust politics. I felt a strong sense that a crisis was at hand, that democracy in our country is in peril, so I decided to run for president before anyone else.

“We will have the House of Representatives election, followed by the House of Councillors elections. We must show the public our renewed LDP and call for their support. The presidential election has ended. The competition is over. Like a baseball team, all members of the LDP should fight as one in the lower and upper house elections.

“The national crisis in our country continues. We must keep putting efforts into coronavirus control with a desperate commitment. We must come up with several trillions of yen in economic measures by the end of the year.

“In the future, our country will face a host of crucial challenges, including new forms of capitalism, the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and measures to address the low birth rate.

“From today, I’ll start down this path as your leader with all my might. I hope all party members across the country and members of the Diet will join me. Fumio Kishida’s specialty is carefully listening to people’s stories. So please, everyone, join me as I strive for an open LDP and a bright future for Japan.” (Sept. 30)