Former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba to be Japan's new PM

Former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba will become Japan's next prime minister after winning the ruling party's leadership vote on Friday, the official count showed.

Ishiba, 67, beat arch-nationalist Sanae Takaichi -- who would have been the country's first ever woman leader -- in a run-off.

After his victory was announced at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters in Tokyo, Ishiba smiled and took off his glasses to wipe his teary eyes, bowing repeatedly as his associates congratulated him.

"I will do my utmost to believe in the people, to speak the truth with courage and sincerity, and to make this country a safe and secure place where everyone can live with a smile on their face once again," he said in a short speech.

Ishiba has come close to the top job before, including in 2012 when he lost to nationalist Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving leader who was later assassinated.

The military model-maker with an affinity for 1970s pop idols says his experience tackling tough social issues, such as agriculture reforms, makes him qualified for the job.

As scandals fuel public discontent with the LDP, "the tide is in favour of Ishiba and his 'fair and square' attitude," Yu Uchiyama, a University of Tokyo politics professor, said ahead of the vote.

The conservative party has governed almost uninterrupted for decades and holds a majority, meaning Ishiba will be elected premier by parliament on Tuesday.

As prime minister he will need to face down regional security threats, from an increasingly assertive China and its deepening ties with Russia to North Korea's banned missile tests.

At home, Ishiba will be tasked with breathing life into the economy, as the central bank moves away from decades of monetary easing that has slashed the value of the yen.

In the first round of voting, a record nine candidates had been in the running after the LDP's long-powerful factions disbanded earlier this year over a funding scandal.

Takaichi, economic security minister, is a vocal nationalist popular with the LDP's conservative wing. The 63-year-old was close to assassinated ex-premier Abe, whose supporters are still powerful.

In third place behind Ishiba and Takaichi was former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a keen surfer whose father was prime minister in the 2000s.

LDP leaders are in office for three years and can serve up to three straight terms. Unpopular Prime Minister Fumio Kishida did not run for re-election.

On the streets of Tokyo, 72-year-old retiree Yasumi Fujino told AFP she was "concerned about China" and hoped "the next person will focus on diplomacy".

Yuji Ikeda, also 72, said "I understand that the times call for defence spending with the thing about Russia's plane and China and all that".

"But I feel we spend too much on national defence now. I am interested in what the next person would do in terms of policy for seniors."

The LDP has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades, with the main opposition parties rarely seen as viable alternatives.

During his term, Kishida has taken steps to double Japan's defence spending, opening the door for military exports as the LDP seeks to revise the pacifist post-war constitution.

He welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to a G7 summit in Hiroshima and has strengthened Japan's often testy ties with its neighbour South Korea.

But his rule was also tarnished by scandals, voter anger over rising prices and sliding poll ratings.

Abe-critic wins Japan top job at last

Shigeru Ishiba, who will be Japan's next prime minister after winning his party's leadership vote on Friday, is a seasoned lawmaker known for his in-depth security policy knowledge.

A former defence minister, Ishiba's push to boost the military and call for the creation of an Asian NATO could rile Beijing, but he is careful with his words concerning China.

He argues that Japan's military should be able to take a stronger response when territorial airspace or waters are breached. Currently a warning shot is the only option, and China is "well aware" of that, he has said.

Although he is relatively popular with the public, Ishiba has had four failed bids to lead his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), including a 2012 try against his arch-rival Shinzo Abe before prevailing this time against a nationalist.

For a long time Ishiba alienated party heavyweights with his "outspoken criticism of LDP policies under Abe", said Yu Uchiyama, a politics professor at the University of Tokyo.

But recently he has been "vocal about the need for the LDP to turn over a new leaf when it comes to the funding scandal and other issues", which may have worked in his favour.

He has also proposed creating a government agency in charge of disaster prevention in the earthquake-prone country that is also frequently hit by typhoons and heavy rains.

"My life's work is security, disaster prevention, and the revitalisation of rural regions," Ishiba said in a recent interview with the Mainichi Shimbun daily, pledging to focus on these issues as prime minister.

- 'Don't repeat mistakes' -

Ishiba, whose politician father was at one point a Cabinet minister, grew up in the remote rural region of Tottori.

He read law at university and became a banker before entering politics, winning his first parliamentary seat with the LDP in 1986, aged 29.

During his long career, the father of two has held several key posts including LDP secretary general and minister for agriculture.

The political veteran is a fan of trains, 1970s pop idols and making military models -- including one of a Soviet aircraft carrier for the visit of a Russian defence minister.

In the run-up to Friday's vote, Ishiba pledged to boost the economy by encouraging domestic investment in the chip and AI sectors among other policies, such as using nuclear power alongside renewables to fuel the resource-poor country.

He supports the Bank of Japan's exit from its longstanding unorthodox monetary easing policies -- championed by Abe -- and has said "there is room for raising the corporate tax".

The money raised by this tax hike will help the government in its existing plan to ramp up defence spending to the NATO standard of two percent of GDP by 2027, according to Ishiba.

He aims to raise Japan's low birth rate through measures including a review of the country's notorious long working hours and expanding support for parents, and wants to fight rural depopulation by revitalising regional economies.

Ishiba has said he is uniquely qualified for the job because he has experienced many setbacks when tackling tough social issues, such as agriculture reforms.

"I have always asked myself why and how things didn't always go well. I don't want future generations to repeat the same mistakes," he said in a debate on Wednesday.