Earlier, the two frontrunners had defeated seven other candidates to set up the final showdown TOKYO: ISHIBA Shigeru, a veteran politician who has tried to become Prime Minister of Japan on several occasions, succeeded at the fifth attempt on Friday as he was elected President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Ishiba, 67, won a runoff with TAKAICHI Sanae, a conservative who was vying to become Japan’s first female leader, picking up 215 votes to 194. Earlier, the two frontrunners had defeated seven other candidates to set up the final showdown. “I will do my utmost to believe in the people, to speak the truth with courage and sincerity, and to make this country a safe and secure place where everyone can live with a smile on their face once again,” he said in a short speech. Ishiba, a former defense minister with an unusually blunt attitude for a Japanese politician, is seen as more progressive than Takichi, a close ally of former Prime Minister ABE Shinzo. The election took place after Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio decided to step down following a finance scandal within the party that undermined his leadership. Ishiba previously held the powerful post of Secretary-General of the LDP as well as the agriculture portfolio. He was supported in his bid to become a politician by controversial former Prime Minister TANAKA Kakuei, who stepped down after the Lockheed Scandal. Ishiba became an MP at the young age of 29, representing the district of Tottori, where his father had been governor. As Defense Minister, Ishiba was regarded as a “hawk,” but has taken progressive stances on other issues, such as allowing a female to become Emperor. He has also suggested that Japan might need to carry out a preemptive strike against North Korea and hasn’t ruled out Japan pursuing the development of nuclear weapons.