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Tokyo
Former Japanese defence minister Shigeru Ishiba will become the country's next prime minister after he won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leadership vote on Friday (Sept 27).
Ishiba, 67, defeated Minister of State for Economic Security Sanae Takaichi- who could have been the country's first-ever woman prime minister, a report by the news agency AFP said.
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.
Who is Shigeru Ishiba?
Ishiba was born on February 4, 1957, in Tokyo. His father Jiro was a government official who was elected Governor of Tottori Prefecture in 1958. Jiro served as Minister for Home Affairs in the Zenkō Suzuki Cabinet.
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Shigeru Ishiba studied law at Tokyo's Keio University, graduating in 1979. Before entering the world of politics in the early 1980s, he worked at Mitsui Bank.
In the July 1986 election, Ishiba ran as an LDP candidate in the Tottori at-large district and was elected to the House of Representatives. At 29, he was the youngest member of the House at the time.
He served as the defence minister from 2007 to 2008 under then prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, and minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries under Tarō Asō from 2008 to 2009.
The road ahead for the new PM
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.
As the upcoming PM, Ishiba would 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, the 67-year-old would 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.
(With inputs from agencies)