Shigeru Ishiba was elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Sept. 27, reaching the top of the ladder in what he had said would be his “final political battle.”

Ishiba, 67, a former LDP secretary-general, gained 215 votes in a runoff vote in the party’s election, compared with 194 for Sanae Takaichi, 63, the economic security minister.

Takaichi won 181 votes in the first round of the election, but the number fell short of a majority. That forced a runoff against second-place Ishiba, who got 154.

In the runoff, he gained 189 votes from Diet members, compared with Takaichi’s 173, and also secured 26 from the 47 prefectural chapters to win the elusive post.

“We must believe in the people and speak the truth with courage and sincerity,” Ishiba, the 28th LDP president, said to the party after his victory was declared. “I will do my utmost to make Japan a safe and secure country where everyone can live with a smile on their face once again.”

Given the ruling coalition’s dominance in the Diet, Ishiba will be formally voted in as the 102nd prime minister in an extraordinary Diet session to be convened on Oct. 1.

He faces the immediate challenge of renewing the image of the LDP, whose popularity has waned due to a political funding scandal involving party factions.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cited the scandal as a key reason why he did not seek re-election.

In his victory speech, Ishiba praised Kishida for making “a decision to regain the trust of the people so that the LDP can be reborn. We must respond to his decision as one.”

Ishiba, who does not belong to any party faction, ran unsuccessfully for LDP president four times: in 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2020.

He finished first in the first round of voting in the 2012 party election but was defeated by Shinzo Abe in the runoff.

Ishiba had said this party election would be his last.

Originally from Yazu in the western Japan prefecture of Tottori, Ishiba has been elected 12 times to the Lower House from Tottori’s No. 1 district.

He has also served as defense minister and farm minister.

Although popular among rank-and-file party members, he was expected to have a tougher time than other candidates in gathering votes from LDP lawmakers, particularly in the runoff, where Diet members’ votes carry more weight.

But with members of his now-dissolved faction at the core, Ishiba expanded his support base among factionless Diet members, as well as lawmakers of existing factions.

For Takaichi, this was her second attempt to win the LDP’s top post and become the nation’s first female prime minister.

In the 2021 election, she ranked second in votes cast by LDP lawmakers, buoyed by support from former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot in July 2022.

After the latest election, Takaichi told reporters: “It is because of my own lack of strength that I was defeated. Many people supported me. I am sorry that I could not produce results.”

She added: “Today is the second anniversary of the state funeral of (former) Prime Minister Abe. I am sorry that I could not deliver him a good news.”

Ishiba also held a news conference at party headquarters in the evening.

Asked whether he would dissolve the Lower House and call an election, he said, “I have not yet been nominated as prime minister. I will have to think about it and make a proper decision at that time.”

He added: “However, we must receive the public’s judgment as soon as possible.”

In vowing to clean up the image of the LDP, Ishiba has stressed the need for “rule-abiding politics” and “unlimited transparency” when it comes to money.

He has also promoted the creation of an “Asian version of NATO,” citing growing security threats in the region, as well as equality in the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.

Ishiba consistently ranks high in opinion polls conducted by media outlets.

In a public opinion survey conducted by The Asahi Shimbun in July, voters were asked who in the LDP is most suitable to become prime minister.

Ishiba placed first, gaining support from 21 percent of respondents, followed by 17 percent for Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, a former environment minister who also ran in the election.

Takaichi placed third.

Five of the six LDP factions, with the exception of the Aso faction, have decided to dissolve because of the fund scandal.

In past LDP presidential elections, voting was often determined on a faction-by-faction basis. But this time, there was an atmosphere that discouraged such faction-based political behavior.

Therefore, multiple members from the same faction put their names forward for the election, resulting in a record high nine candidates.

The other candidates in the race were: Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, a former minister in charge of economic security; Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 63; Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, 71; former Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, 68; Digital Transformation Minister Taro Kono, 61; and LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, 68.