Japan’s governing party on Friday picked former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba as its leader, setting him up to become prime minister next week. The party leadership is a ticket to the top job because the Liberal Democratic Party’s governing coalition controls parliament.

Shigeru Ishiba will become Japan’s next prime minister after he was elected as the new leader of the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday. He replaces Fumio Kishida, who unexpectedly announced in August that he would not run again, sparking a race within Japan’s ruling party to replace him.

TOKYO >> Japan’s incoming prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said he wanted to clean up his ruling party, revitalize the economy and see off security threats from powerful neighbors after triumphing in his fifth and what he called final leadership bid on Friday.