Fumio Kishida becomes new Japan PM

The 64-year-old leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will need to spur the Japanese sentiments after the government under Suga faced heat on the decision to hold the Tokyo Olympics against the backdrop of a surge in Covid 19 cases.

At the end of September, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato had announced that the Japanese cabinet had scheduled an extraordinary parliamentary session for October 4 to elect a new prime minister.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Minister of Japan, Taro Kono, who had garnered favourable public support, fell short of managing to be the next Japanese PM.

Kishida, a native of Hiroshima, who turned the tables in his favour, is also the longest-serving Japanese Foreign Minister serving the post from 2012 to 2017.

Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had announced in early September his decision not to run for the head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) only after a year in the hot seat.

Kishida, who will be inaugurated in a formal ceremony at the Imperial Palace in the evening, is looking to begin the general election campaign on Oct 19, according to senior LDP figures.

Kishida has added 13 first time ministers to the Cabinet list including three women-  Administrative Reform Minister Karen Makishima, Vaccination Minister Noriko Horiuchi, and Seiko Noda, the Minister-in-charge of Gender Equality.