When Shigeru Ishiba becomes the 65th Japanese prime minister this week, it will represent a remarkable break with the recent past. Ishiba is the 65th person to occupy the office, though there have been over a hundred premierships, including those who occupied the office more than once.

All of the candidates to replace Fumio Kishida were flawed. But given public discontent with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the popular Ishiba – a fierce critic of the late Shinzo Abe, whose faction was most implicated in recent scandals over funding and influence – was the safest choice.

Washington Post