Tokyo: 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.
His first mission as prime minister will be to lead the LDP to victory in an upcoming general election.
The party saw a drop in popularity after it pushed to host the Tokyo Olympics despite public opposition.
Mr Kishida, a former foreign minister, beat out Taro Kono, who was widely regarding as the most popular candidate, to win the position.
Given the LDP’s majority in parliament, Mr Kishida’s position as prime minister has been all but cemented.