Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was elected as the new president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Monday at a joint plenary meeting of party members from both houses of the Diet and delegates from local chapters.
Suga is virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister due to the LDP's dominance in both chambers of Japan's bicameral parliament.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced late last month that he would step down from his post due to the recurrence of the same intestinal disease that ended his first tenure in 2007.
