Japan's Prime Minister Kishida resigns as planned before likely successor Ishiba takes office

Japan 's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stepped down as planned allowing the way for his successor Shigeru Ishiba to take office.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declared that Kishida and his ministers resigned at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Earlier on Friday, Ishiba was chosen as the governing Liberal Democratic Party 's leader to replace Kishida, who in August announced his resignation at the end of his three-year term.

The parliament is dominated by Ishiba's party's ruling coalition, hence he is assured to be the Prime Minister later on Tuesday.

A new cabinet will be announced by Ishiba later in the day.

After his government was marred by allegations of scandals, Kishida decided to step down for a fresh face. He took office in the year 2021.

Ishiba announced on Monday that he planned to call a parliamentary polls to be held on October 27, after he formally chosen as prime minister.

Ahead of naming his cabinet, he announced his party leaders.

Shinjiro Koizumi, who previously served as Environment Minister and placed third in the party leadership race, has been appointed to lead the party's election task force.

The new leader is likely to appoint Takeshi Iwaya as Foreign Minister and Gen Nakatani as Defense Chief when he assumes office. These selections are expected to bring defense expertise and trusted associates into key positions.

Japan's Ishiba highlighted the country's need to bolster its security on Friday. He cited recent breaches of Japanese airspace by Russian and Chinese warplanes and ongoing missile launches by North Korea.

Ishiba pledged to continue the economic policies set by Prime Minister Kishida. These policies aim to pull Japan out of deflation and achieve real salary increases. He also addressed the challenges of Japan's declining birthrate, population, and resilience to natural disasters.