Shigeru Ishiba, elected new leader of the ruling party, will be the next Prime Minister

Japan knows Fumio Kishida’s successor as Prime Minister. Friday September 27, Shigeru Ishiba was elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), the ruling party. Aged 67, he had tried in vain four times to become party leader. The former Minister of Defense and Agriculture finally beat Sanae Takaichi (215 votes against 194), who aspired to be the first woman to occupy this position, in the final of this election, to which Fumio Kishida had decided to give up.

Visibly moved at the announcement of the results, Shigeru Ishiba took off his glasses to quickly wipe away a few tears. “The president [du PLD] Kishida made the decision to regain the trust of the people so that the LDP could be reborn. We must respond to this decision as one. I will do my best to speak the truth with courage and sincerity, and to make this country a safe and secure place where everyone can live with a smile again.”he declared immediately, in front of the members of the PLD.

This change of Prime Minister should not, however, have major consequences on Japan’s current policy. Shigeru Ishiba, who will officially take office as head of government on October 1, will face the same internal problems of a country stuck in an economy that is struggling to recover and the management of international tensions with the very active Chinese and North-North neighbors. Koreans.