Shigeru Ishiba will become Japan’s next prime minister after he was elected as the new leader of the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday. He replaces Fumio Kishida, who unexpectedly announced in August that he would not run again, sparking a race within Japan’s ruling party to replace him.

TOKYO >> Japan’s incoming prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said he wanted to clean up his ruling party, revitalize the economy and see off security threats from powerful neighbors after triumphing in his fifth and what he called final leadership bid on Friday.

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.