Kishida was first elected to Parliament in 1993 representing Hiroshima and is an advocate for nuclear disarmament
Japan’s parliament on Monday elected Fumio Kishida as the new prime minister, who will tasked with quickly tackling the pandemic and security challenges before an imminent national election..
Kishida replaces Yoshihide Suga, who resigned with his Cabinet earlier in the day. Kishida and his Cabinet will be sworn in at a palace ceremony later Monday.
Suga left after only one year in office after seeing his support plunge over his government’s handling of the pandemic and insistence on holding the Olympics as the virus spread.
A former foreign minister, Kishida, 64, used to be known as a dovish moderate but turned hawkish apparently to win over influential conservatives in the party. He is firmly entrenched in the conservative establishment and his victory in the party election was a choice for continuity and stability over change.
