TOKYO: Former internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election on Saturday, as reported by Kyodo News.

According to Kyodo News, Takaichi defeated farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a runoff vote. Replacing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as party chief, Takaichi is expected to become the country’s next prime minister.

As the new LDP head, whose term lasts until 2027, Takaichi is likely to become Japan’s next prime minister later this month, as the minority coalition with partner- Komeito party, remains the largest force in parliament and the opposition parties are not unified, Kyodo News reported.

It further reported that among the five candidates, Takaichi, Koizumi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi were widely seen as the

See Full Page