Japan : Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida wins party vote to become next Prime Minister
Fumio Kishida has won a race to lead Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), putting him on course to become the next prime minister. Mr Kishida will succeed Yoshihide Suga, who decided to step down after just one year in office.
As new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Mr. Kishida is certain to be elected the next Prime Minister on Monday in Parliament, where his party and coalition partner control the house.
The new leader is under pressure to change the party’s high-handed reputation worsened by Mr. Suga, who angered the public over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and insistence on holding the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The Japanese foreign minister was in India on a three-day visit for the eighth round of the strategic dialogue in 2015 and had proposed strengthening three bridges that link the region in order to ensure peace and prosperity, bridge of value and spirit, of a vibrant economy and open and stable seas. Promising that Japan will contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative to support India in becoming a base of economic growth for the Indo-Pacific region and the world.
