Japan’s soon-to-be prime minister faces big challenge as he tries to move past ruling party scandals

Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — The person chosen to lead Japan’s governing party, and become prime minister next week, is a veteran politician with deep policy experience, a taste for curry and anime — and big challenges ahead of him as he tries to unite a fractious party and hold off an opposition eager to capitalize on recent corruption scandals. Shigeru Ishiba has long been popular with voters but has often struggled to win over his conservative fellow Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers. A vocal critic of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s hawkish politics who has long been pushed to the side, Friday’s victory is a huge comeback for Ishiba.