Yoshihiko Noda wins Japan leadership race
TOKYO. August 29. KAZINFORM Japan's governing Democratic Party (DPJ) has chosen Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as its leader, lining him up to become the country's sixth prime minister in five years; Kazinform refers to BBC.
Mr Noda secured victory in a run-off against Trade Minister Banri Kaieda, after a first-round vote in which no candidate won a clear majority.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced his resignation on Friday.
He has been criticised for his handling of the quake aftermath.
Mr Noda, 54, is expected to be confirmed by parliament as prime minister on Tuesday.
He secured 215 votes in the ballot against Mr Kaieda's 177 votes.
Supporters of public favourite Seiji Maehara - the former foreign minister who was eliminated in first-round voting - threw their support behind Mr Noda in the second ballot.
Mr Kaieda was backed by scandal-hit party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa, who controls the DPJ's biggest faction.
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/ for full story.