Kishida set to be reelected Japan’s PM in parliamentary vote

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Fumio Kishida is set to be reelected as Japan’s prime minister after clearing the first major test of his leadership in recent elections. Kishida sees the Oct. 31 election result as a mandate from voters for his weeks-old government to tackle the pandemic-battered economy, virus measures and other challenges. He is to be reelected later Wednesday during the first session of parliament since the election and then will reappoint his Cabinet. Most will be from his first Cabinet. The foreign minister will be former education minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, while former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi shifts to the governing party’s No. 2 post. Experts say those moves will help Kishida strengthen his grip on power.