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Updated September 29th, 2021 at 14:56 IST

Who is Fumio Kishida? Japan’s former Diplomat set to be PM, read his take on key policies

Japan’s former top diplomat Fumio Kishida is set to become the country’s new PM as he won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election on Wednesday

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
Japan
IMAGE: TWITTER | Image:self
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Japan’s former top diplomat Fumio Kishida is set to become the country’s new PM as he won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election on Wednesday, 29 September. Kishida won 257 votes in a runoff to defeat Japan’s COVID vaccine minister Taro Kono. The 64-year-old will replace outgoing party leader PM Yoshihide Suga, who bowed out from the leadership race earlier this month amid anger over his administration’s COVID-19 response. 

Now, Kishida will be formally elected as Prime Minister in a parliamentary session scheduled to begin on 4 October. His first mission as the Prime Minister will be to lead the LDP to victory in the upcoming general election in November. He will also be tasked with keeping the COVID-19 pandemic under control, finding new areas of growth for the economy and dealing with regional security issues stemming from the rise of China. 

All about incoming PM Fumio Kishida

Kishida is a former foreign minister who served from 2012 to 2017. He has also served as the LDP policy chief from 2017 to 2020. According to Nikkei Asia, he had been groomed as a potential successor during former PM Shinzo Abe’s administration. He is a nine-term member of the House of Representatives. 

As the Foreign Minister, Kishida arranged a historic 2016 visit by then US President Barack Obama to the atomic-bombed Hiroshima. According to Kyodo News, Kishida is in favour of retaining nuclear power technology, which he says should be considered as a clean energy option. He has repeatedly advocated for Japanese diplomacy to promote nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He has even called abolishing nuclear weapons “my life’s work”. 

Moreover, Kishida has negotiated accords with Russia and South Korea, with whom Japan’s relations are often frosty. He struck an agreement with South Korea in 2015 to resolve "finally and irreversibly" the issue of 'comfort women' (which is referred to women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army). However, despite his liberal reputation, the 64-year-old has been less direct on issues like gay marriage. Kishida said he had “not reached the point for accepting same-sex marriage”. He also took a softer stance on allowing married couples to keep separate surnames.

Kishida vows to reshape LDP

In recent months, Kishida has reached out to more people on the ground and via social media. While announcing his candidacy, he had called for reducing wealth disparity by boosting middle-class incomes and pledged support to economically vulnerable people. He had even said that if he gets elected as the LDP president, he would limit the terms of LDP executives - except the president - to up to three years. 

On the economy, the former foreign minister has called for a major stimulus package. He has also pledged to set aside $90 billion to fund scientific developments and renewable energy. Kishida has also advocated moving away from the deregulation of business that began in the early 2000s. 

Speaking about his foreign policy views, Kishida favours a strong alliance with the US and frowns on China’s military expansion. Even though he has advocated continuing dialogue with China, he has also promised to take a harder line militarily. He has supported boosting Japan’s defence budget amid increases in Chinese activity in the East China Sea that are claimed by both nations.  

(Image: Twitter)

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Published September 29th, 2021 at 14:56 IST

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