Japan's former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda won the
ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election on 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. There was one
invalid ballot.
"I will endeavor to revive LDP," Fukuda told fellow LDP
lawmakers after the election results were announced. He also vowed
to regain public trust on the party at the short speech.
As the LDP controls the House of the Representatives, which has
the final say in choosing the 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 former foreign minister Taro 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.
On foreign policies, Fukuda called for balance between Japan's
alliance with the US and Japan's membership in Asia. He said that
the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and the abduction issue should
be handled through dialogue.
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. Takeo Fukuda was
also elected as the LDP president at the age of 71. The LDP
president usually serves a tenure of three years and a maximum of
six years.
As the party's 22nd president, Fukuda is expected to decide new
party executives on Monday. He would also announce new Cabinet
lineup on Tuesday after being named prime minister.
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.
(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2007)
