Fumio Kishida: a ‘safe pair of hands’ for Japan’s ruling party

Analysis: election result marks return of pragmatic and centrist policies, spearheaded by a decent, if unexciting, leader

Japan's governing Liberal Democratic party [LDP] has chosen stability and moderation in electing Fumio Kishida as its new leader - a post that all but guarantees that he will become the country's prime minister on Monday.

Kishida, like Taro Kono - the man he defeated in a second round of voting on Wednesday - is a hereditary politician in a party packed with MPs who were practically destined at birth to occupy a seat in parliament.