Ishiba will succeed Fumio Kishida, who reshaped Japan’s role in the international community but last month announced he would step down amid record-low approval ratings.

Japan’s governing party on Friday picked former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba as its leader, setting him up to become prime minister next week. The party leadership is a ticket to the top job because the Liberal Democratic Party’s governing coalition controls parliament.

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.