Japan’s Governing Party Selects New Prime Minister

The elite power brokers of Japan’s governing party appeared to take public sentiment into account on Friday when they chose Shigeru Ishiba, 67, to become the next prime minister of Japan.

Mr. Ishiba, a former defense minister who has long been popular with rank-and-file members of the Liberal Democratic Party but less favored by parliamentary lawmakers, had run for the party leadership four times before finally attaining victory.

In a runoff with Sanae Takaichi, Mr. Ishiba, who is known for his plainspoken opinions and keen interest in military equipment, defeated Ms. Takaichi 215 to 194 in voting at the party’s headquarters in Tokyo. He will take over as prime minister next Tuesday, replacing Fumio Kishida.

Mr. Kishida, who presided over an expansion of Japan’s defense budget and a rapprochement with South Korea during his three years as prime minister, announced in August that he would resign after months of low approval ratings related to public dissatisfaction with inflation and his handling of a series of political finance scandals.

Hinting at the public’s loss of trust in the party, Mr. Ishiba said in his acceptance speech that he wanted to return to an L.D.P. “that can hold free and open discussions,” and would be “fair and impartial” and “humble.”

While past leadership contests have been staid affairs with a sense of preordination, Friday’s party election held genuine drama. Ms. Takaichi, who would have been Japan’s first female prime minister, pulled ahead in the first round of voting, in which both lawmakers and rank-and-file dues-paying members were represented. But Mr. Ishiba, a somewhat anti-establishment candidate who has criticized previous administrations, was able to round up the lawmakers needed to