Japan appoints 100th Prime Minister

Tokyo: The Japanese parliament has voted to approve former foreign minister Fumio Kishida as the new Prime Minister of Japan. Kishida, 64, won the mandate for leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party in a close run-off against his rival and vaccine minister Taro Kono.

Kishida had previously served as foreign policy chief for the Liberal Democratic Party and was instrumental in negotiating rocky relationships with likes of Korea and Russia. In a show of solidarity with younger legislators, Kishida has also pledged to reduce the term of LD executives to 3 years in an effort to bring young blood into the party.

The new Prime Minister has also announced a spending package of 30 trillion yen to facilitate income distribution, with special focus on the middle income group of the country. A new package will mark a stark departure from the trickle-down policy of the Abe administration. He is also likely to be the first PM to appoint a ministerial aide.