Newly elected Liberal Democratic Party president Fumio Kishida is a political veteran, former foreign minister and ex-senior party official who is less flamboyant, controversial and publicly popular than some other high-profile party members.
But those close to Kishida, who is effectively guaranteed to become prime minister next week due to the LDP's majority in the Diet, say his political philosophy is one of stable realism and that this will define how he governs the party and the nation.
Though criticized as bland and indecisive following his loss to outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the September 2020 LDP presidential race, he has grown tougher and more passionate, a fellow lawmaker said.