Japan is poised for a change of guard. Its former foreign minister, Kishida Fumio, has won the intra-party election to become the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). As the dominant party in Parliament, the victory assures him of the office of the nation’s Prime Minister. He has defeated Kono Taro, another former foreign minister, in a second round run-off, after none of the four initial candidates secured a majority in the first round.

The outcome does mirror the strength of the party’s old guard, which is wary of Kono and the disregard for broader public opinion. To that can be added the general weakness of Japan’s opposition parties. Mr Kono, a popular figure on social media, was the clear favourite in polls of the general public.

Many younger lawmakers had backed him, pitching the campaign as a generational contest. Mr Kono won 44 per cent of the total rank-and-file vote in the first round to Kishida’s 29 per cent. Yet his support among his colleagues in Parliament was weak, and this turned out to be the reason for his failure in the run-off, where the party’s 382 lawmakers held more sway. Supporters of Kishida and the third-place holder, Takaichi Sanae, had united to defeat him. As it turns out, “generational change” is not easy to materialise within the LDP. Mr Kishida faces a daunting assignment. His predecessor, Suga Yoshihide who defeated him in a leadership election just one year ago, stepped down this month amid widespread dissatisfaction with his government’s handling of Covid-19 and his generally uninspiring leadership. He will enjoy a more favourable timing than the outgoing Prime Minister. With Japan’s daily caseload shrinking, the government will lift the state of emergency in 19 prefectures on October 1. One major advantage must be that after a slow start, Japan has fully vaccinated 64 per cent of its population, nearly matching the rate of the United States of America. Yet he will have to regain public trust and present a credible plan for reopening the country safely and reviving the flagging economy.

Politics is family business of sorts for Kishida. Both his father and grandfather served in the Diet’s lower house; his political career began as a secretary to his father. He is also related to a former prime minister, Miyazawa Kiichi. As foreign minister, Kishida had coordinated Barack Obama’s visit in 2016 to his hometown, Hiroshima, and helped broker an agreement with South Korea for Japan to compensate “comfort women”, as those forced into brothels by Japanese soldiers during the World War II were known.

The agreement later fell apart after power changed hands in South Korea. As Prime Minister, Kishida’s first, major task will be to lead the party in elections for the Diet’s lower house, which must be held by the end of November. By ignoring public opinion in choosing Kishida, the LDP may face a tough race.