Aso clinched 351 of the 525 votes cast in the LDP election, putting him in line to take over as prime minister this week amid political and economic turmoil. (Www.hxen.com)
Taro Aso, the newly elected LDP president, expressed his concerns for the current situation in Japan.
"With all the problems facing the people, problems making ends meet, uncertainty about the future, the challenge of defending national security, I am thinking, Who in the political world, apart from us, is up to facing these challenges and delivering results?"
At a special session of the Diet scheduled for Wednesday, Aso will automatically assume Japan's premiership, as the LDP dominates the powerful House of Representatives, which has the final say in picking Japan's new leader.