Fumio Kishida vows to formulate stimulus plan, let ordinary people benefit from growth

Fumio Kishida attends a press conference after he won the presidential election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Tokyo, Japan on Sept. 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)

Fumio Kishida said his government must formulate a multi-trillion-yen stimulus plan before the end of the year to mitigate the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

TOKYO, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Fumio Kishida won the presidential election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Wednesday, vowing to formulate a stimulus plan and let people benefit from economic growth.

Kishida, former foreign minister, secured 257 votes in a runoff to win over his contender vaccination minister Taro Kono who received 170 votes. He will succeed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

At a meeting of the LDP lawmakers after the election, Kishida called for unity as he will lead the party into a general election scheduled for November and election of the upper House of Councillors next year.

The next general election of the powerful House of Representatives is expected to take place after the term of members of the current lower house expires on Oct. 21.

He said his government must formulate a multi-trillion-yen stimulus plan before the end of the year to mitigate the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has also pledged to change the neoliberal policies of previous administrations to ensure that ordinary people can enjoy the benefits of growth.

Pedestrians walk across a street in Tokyo, Japan on July 8, 2021. (Photo by Christopher Jue/Xinhua)

At the presidential election in the afternoon, LDP parliamentarians cast 382 votes and another 382 votes were allotted to rank-and-file members in the first round of voting. Kishida, winning 256 votes, entered the runoff vote round with Kono trailing at 255 votes.

Factional alliances did not play a decisive role in the first round as the members were allowed to make independent choices.

In the runoff voting, the LDP lawmakers cast the same number of votes, but the rank-and-file members' votes were reduced to one for each of the LDP's 47 prefectural chapters.

With a dominant advantage in the votes from LDP parliamentarians, Kishida was elected as the new party leader.

Two female candidates, Sanae Takaichi, former communications minister, and Seiko Noda, LDP executive acting secretary general, lost out in the four-way race in the first round of voting with 188 and 63 votes respectively.

Heading the LDP's liberal-leaning faction, Kishida received the backing of many veteran lawmakers as he made his second bid to become the party chief. He received 249 votes from LDP lawmakers in the runoff voting round, comfortably surpassing Kono's 131.Pedestrians walk across a street in Tokyo, Japan on July 8, 2021. (Photo by Christopher Jue/Xinhua)

As the LDP-led coalition constitutes a majority in both chambers of the parliament in Japan, the new party president is set to be elected prime minister in the extraordinary Diet session scheduled to be held on Oct. 4, succeeding the incumbent Suga.

Working as Suga's successor, the new prime minister will face tasks of leading the ruling party, which is working hard to support the COVID-19-battered economy, while also persuading the public that the LDP has leadership skills and a sense of responsibility that Suga is regarded as lacking.

Among Kishida's contenders, Kono, seen as a reformist, has promised to reform Japan's pension system and promote digitalization, but he was also regarded by some as having backtracked from his previous stance.

Takaichi was backed by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in campaigning and has the support of hawkish nationalists within the LDP. Her policy focused on bold monetary easing and investment in crisis management and growth areas.

Noda, known as a liberal in the conservative party, struggled to attract support within the party beyond the 20 lawmakers who gave her the prerequisite endorsement needed to run in the race. She placed priority on care for the vulnerable, such as children and people with disabilities.