Ex-Foreign Minister Kishida to become next Japan PM after party vote

Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election Wednesday in a runoff vote against vaccination minister Taro Kono, making him all but certain to become Japan's next prime minister.Kishida, who is set to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga next week, will be tasked with shoring up an economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthening ties with the United States and other partners at a time when China is increasingly assertive in the Indo-Pacific region."We remain in a national crisis," Kishida said after the vote, allu…READ FULL ARTICLE