The Liberal Democratic Party has elected former Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki as its new president.
By garnering about 60 percent of the total vote — 120 of the 199 LDP Diet member votes, and 180 of the 300 votes distributed among the LDP's local chapters — he defeated former Vice Justice Minister Taro Kono and Mr. Yasutoshi Nishimura, a Lower House member who has just won his third term.
Many LDP members apparently viewed Mr. Tanigaki as a safe bet given his experience in the Cabinet and as a senior party figure. He had urged party unity, while younger candidates called for a generational change. Still, in order to fight the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), to which it yielded power as a result of the Aug. 30 Lower House election, the LDP needs new energy and power. The call for party unity alone will not be enough to resuscitate the LDP. Mr. Tanigaki has yet to develop a clear plan for the party's revival.