Japan's former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election Sunday, beating his rival the LDP Secretary General Taro Aso.
Fukuda grabbed 330 votes out of the eligible 527 votes from the LDP lawmakers and prefectural chapters to succeed Shinzo Abe. Former foreign minister Aso received 197 votes. As the LDP controls the House of the Representatives, which has the final say in choosing Japan's prime minister, Fukuda is set to be selected as prime minister by the parliament on Tuesday.
The 71-year-old veteran politician threw his hat in the ring to race against Aso, after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe abruptly resigned on Sept. 12. During the campaign, Fukuda has vowed to boost public confidence in politics by making Japan a society with hope and security.
Fukuda, the son of the late premier Takeo Fukuda, entered the political field as his father's secretary. The two Fukudas will be the first father-son premiers in Japan's politics.
Fukuda, from central Gunma prefecture, worked in an oil company for 17 years after he graduated from the renowned Waseda University. He was first elected to parliament in 1990 when he was 53.
He served as chief cabinet secretary under Yoshiro Mori and Koizumi's administrations with a combined tenure of three and a half years, the longest among top government spokespersons. In May 2003, Fukuda resigned after he admitted the failure to pay pension premiums.
Source: Xinhua
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