Shigeru Ishiba, a seasoned moderate politician and former defense minister, has been elected as the new leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is set to become the country's prime minister next week. In a closely contested runoff election held at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, Ishiba secured victory over his rightwing opponent, Sanae Takaichi, with a vote count of 215 to 194. Takaichi was vying to make history as Japan's first female prime minister. At 67 years old, Ishiba has pledged to address the "widespread distrust" within the party, signaling a commitment to restoring confidence among party members and the public.