September 27, 2024 1:03 PM

Veteran lawmaker Ishiba set to become Japan PM

Former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba was set on Friday to become Japan's next prime minister after winning a closely fought contest in his fifth and final attempt to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The 67-year-old prevailed over hardline nationalist Sanae Takaichi in a run-off vote in what was one of the most unpredictable leadership elections in decades with a record nine candidates in the field. The leader of the LDP, which has ruled Japan for almost all of the post-war era, is e...