In Japan and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has reportedly selected long-time political figure Fumio Kishida (pictured) to succeed the unpopular Yoshihide Suga as the Asian nation’s next Prime Minister.

According to a report from Inside Asian Gaming, the 64-year-old Tokyo native bested a trio of rivals at yesterday’s Liberal Democratic Party leadership election and is now due to be installed as the 100th Prime Minister of Japan via an extraordinary parliamentary session on Monday. The source detailed that Kishida vanquished Administrative and Regulatory Reform Minister Taro Kono at Wednesday’s run-off contest after earlier overcoming high-profile female government ministers Sanae Takaichi and Seiko Noda.

Earlier endeavors:

A former banker first elected to parliament in 1993, Kashida previously held high-profile cabinet positions including a five-year stint as Minister of Foreign Affairs within the administration of past Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and was reportedly one of the leading figures in helping to push through the Integrated Resort Implementation Bill. This piece of legislation was ratified just over three years ago and will purportedly see the government grant a trio of disparate communities the right to build and run Las Vegas-style developments featuring multiple hotels, exhibitions facilities and large gaming floors.

Brief breather:

After being formally appointed by parliament and Kashida will reportedly be tasked with helping the Liberal Democratic Party to increase its hold on the national political scene via a general election that could be called from as early as next month. However, he purportedly faces an uphill battle owing to the legacy of 72-year-old Suga, who was widely criticized during his own short twelve-month term owing to the country’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and delayed 2020 Summer Olympics.

Positive pledge:

For its part and GGRAsia reported that Kashida has long been an advocate of the plan to license a trio of Japanese integrated casino resorts and used his two-week leadership campaign to reassure fellow proponents that he would not be looking to alter the current authorization timetable. This source explained that the next stage of this process is expected to conclude before the end of 2022 after candidate communities have submitted their formal bids to a panel of federal selectors ahead of an April 28 deadline.

Consensus call:

The online news domain at CNBC.com reported that Kashida will additionally be looking to garner wider public support courtesy of a pledge to review the country’s healthcare and pension system and legislate for a ten-year consumption tax freeze. The Waseda University graduate purportedly used an official press conference following his selection to proclaim that he now intends to assist the Liberal Democratic Party in creating ‘an atmosphere where we can tackle the national crisis as one team.’