Japan Diet Confirms LDP’s Shigeru Ishiba as PM (UPDATE 1)

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Shigeru Ishiba casting his vote in the House of Representatives’ prime minister election on Monday afternoon.

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—The Diet, Japan’s parliament, confirmed Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba as prime minister Monday.

Ishiba defeated Yoshihiko Noda, head of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, in a one-on-one runoff vote in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet.

The victory came after the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, elected Ishiba as prime minister.

In a Lower House vote to pick prime minister earlier in the day, no lawmaker secured a majority of votes. Ishiba and Noda advanced to the runoff because they won the largest and second-largest numbers of votes.

The Diet election of prime minister took place during the special parliamentary session convened Monday.

Ishiba’s cabinet resigned en masse in the morning. He is set to launch his new cabinet and hold a press conference to explain his plans for the administration later Monday.