Fumio Kishida to become Japan’s next PM

Fumio Kishida has won the election to lead Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He is on his way to becoming the next prime minister of Japan.

He will succeed Yoshihide Suga, who just decided to step down after one year in his office. His first mission as the PM will be leading the LDP to victory for an upcoming general election. The popularity of the party fell as it pushed to host the Tokyo Olympics despite the opposition of the public.

Mr. Fumio Kishida is a former foreign minister. He beat out Taro Kono, who is another very popular candidate. Mr. Kishida’s position as a PM has been cemented.

64 years old Mr. Kishida has been targeting the prime ministerial role for a long time and lost to Mr. Suga in the last poll. The new PM is facing a range of other issues. It includes the pandemic-affected economy and the confronting weapon threats from North Korea.

He will work on the establishment of a health crisis management agency to deal with pandemics. He will also work with the idea of passing a resolution to condemn China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority.

“My skill is to listen to people,” Mr. Kishida said after securing his win. “I’m determined to make efforts with everyone for an open LDP and a bright future for Japan”.

Suga has decided to step down due to his plummeting poll ratings after poor handling of the pandemic. Taro Kono, on the other hand, so popular for his frankness, relies on his 2.5 million Twitter followers.

But he has lost, which has made former foreign minister Fumio Kishida the new leader. He will become the 100th prime minister in the country. Mr. Kishida hails from a family of politicians.

He is a moderate-liberal politician. The nation is also expecting that he will steer the ruling of the conservative party slightly to the left.

Though his critics describe him as bland, his party has looked upon him as a future leader. Unlike Mr. Kono has the backing from the veteran politicians of the party.

He has promised to spend billions of dollars to help the country to recover from Covid restrictions. Ahead of the general election, voters will also be watching and hope he becomes able to balance the relationship with China and the US.

Credits: BBC