Washington Post:

This is an example of how other democracies often choose their party leaders who then compete to lead the country (hint, they do not use American-style primary elections):

Fumio Kishida, Japan’s former foreign minister, who is set to become the country’s new prime minister after winning his party’s leadership vote on Wednesday, has vowed to counter China’s growing influence and redistribute the nation’s wealth to close the income gap.

Kishida, 64, will become prime minister on Monday following a special parliamentary session, replacing Yoshihide Suga, who decided to step down after just one year in power amid plummeting popularity over his handling of Japan’s coronavirus response.

The selection of Kishida, who served as foreign minister for many years under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, ensures a stable transition of power. After running in an unusually wide-open race that revealed frustrations among younger members of the party, Kishida said he would listen to feedback and work to restore public trust for a “rebirth” of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party….

But his first order of business will be preparing to fight a general election before the end of November. The LDP is expected to win, which would reaffirm Kishida’s ascent as prime minister.