Fumio Kishida expected to become Japan’s next Prime Minister after ruling party vote

Kishida is widely expected to take the reins of the world’s third largest economy once parliament convenes in October, succeeding outgoing Prime Minister Kishida campaigned on narrowing the income gap, saying the eponymous economic policies of Abe — Abenomics — failed to “trickle down” from the rich to the poor. He has said nuclear energy should be considered as a clean energy option, and has proposed a hefty economic recovery package. Analysts say the question now is whether Kishida will be a lasting leader, or whether Japan will return to a period of political instability similar to that of the pre-Abe era.”Whether you like Abe or not, he had eight years in power to refine policies. We saw some positive changes in terms of corporate governance, women in the economy, migration policy, but it’s because they were pushed through over time,” Nagy said. “Will this be a revolving door of premiership, or will this be a leader in power for four to five years that can make all those changes?”Kishida won the runoff against Kono, 58, Japan’s popular vaccine minister who has also served as the country’s foreign and defense minister.Though historic that two women candidates — Takiichi, 60, and Noda, 61 — ran in the LDP elections, neither garnered enough support to become Japan’s first female Prime Minister. CNN’s Chandler Thornton contributed reporting.