Noda to be new Japanese premier after winning party vote

Japan's finance minister Yoshihiko Noda is all set to take over as the country's sixth prime minister in five years, as he was yesterday formally elected the president of the country's ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) by its members in the Diet, or parliament.

As was widely anticipated, Noda overcame competition from four other contenders to be voted president of the centre-left party to become the third DPJ prime minister after the party was voted to power two years ago.

The 54-year-old Noda will replace outgoing premier Naoto Kan after Kan's popularity slumped significantly over his handling of the 11 March earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear disasters.

Lawmakers from the DPJ voted 215 to 177 for Noda, who defeated trade minister Banri Kaieda in a run-off after public favourite Seiji Maehara was rejected on the first ballot.

''I'm firmly resolved to carry this heavy burden and ask for your support,'' Noda told DPJ lawmakers in Tokyo after the vote. ''Let's brace ourselves and work to achieve stable, reliable government.''

Noda has signalled that he would seek to form a coalition with opposition parties if he became prime minister. Kan failed in a similar attempt after the March catastrophe.