THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
October 4, 2021 at 16:13 JST
Fumio Kishida takes in the applause from Lower House lawmakers in the Diet after being elected as Japan’s new prime minister on Oct. 4. (Shinnosuke Ito)
Fumio Kishida was elected as Japan’s newest prime minister by both the Lower and Upper houses of the Diet on Oct. 4.
He is the 35th prime minister in the postwar period.
At around 1:25 p.m., Kishida walked up to a ballot box set up on the stage during the Lower House plenary session.
He looked nervous, holding a ballot paper with both hands.
He bowed to Lower House Speaker Tadamori Oshima, then cast a vote, apparently for himself.
A storm of applause erupted from the floor full of lawmakers.
Ahead of the plenary session, members of the Cabinet under outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga resigned en masse in the morning as part of the process.
“We have responded to many challenges and supported various reforms as a Cabinet that works for the people,” Suga said in a statement issued on the resignation. “I sincerely ask all people to support the new prime minister.”
Oshima announced the Cabinet’s resignation at the beginning of the plenary session before proceeding with the Diet’s vote on the prime minister.
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