TOKYO—Japan’s next leader will be a former defense minister who wants to reshape what he sees as an unequal alliance with the U.S., presaging possible tensions with Washington.
Shigeru Ishiba, 67 years old, narrowly won a vote in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday to become party leader, and the LDP-controlled parliament will meet Tuesday to elect him prime minister.
Ishiba had lost four previous runs for the leadership and had said this would be his final try. In a crowded race with nine candidates, the maverick lawmaker rose to the top with promises to mend the ruling party’s image after financial scandals. He narrowly defeated economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, 63, who would have been Japan’s first female prime minister.