Kishida To Take Office As Japanese PM Today

Fumio Kishida, the new leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will take office as prime minister today, Oct. 4, 2021, and form his Cabinet, tasked with keeping COVID-19 under control while reviving a battered economy, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: During his campaign, Japan's soon-to-be Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Hie Shrine to pray for a victory.

The former foreign minister will also be looking to bolster cooperation with the United States to counter China's rising assertiveness and military buildup and address the recent resumption of ballistic missile tests by North Korea.

Kishida, 64, is all but guaranteed to be elected as prime minister when an extraordinary parliamentary session convenes Monday since the LDP-led ruling coalition controls both chambers.

The new premier's first major test will be a general election in November in which he will need to defy his image as a moderate consensus builder who struggles to excite voters.

Signaling a break from the "neoliberal policies" the government has pursued over the past two decades, Kishida has promised to increase middle-class incomes and reduce wealth disparity.

An economic package worth "tens of trillions of yen" is in the works to help people and businesses hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, he has said. Kishida's rise to prime minister comes after his predecessor Yoshihide Suga last month announced his resignation after just a year in office amid criticism over his COVID-19 response.

With around 60 percent of Japan's population fully vaccinated and infections in decline, Kishida will be responsible for steering the gradual lifting of restrictions on social and business activity and opening the border to foreign travelers.

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