TOKYO, October 4. /TASS/. Japan’s former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi has been elected leader of the ruling party in the second round of voting.

Takaichi received 185 out of 341 votes, while her rival, Shinjiro Koizumi, son of ex-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, gained 156 votes.

Takaichi is set to become the next Japanese prime minister after Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation, which is expected in the coming days. The reason is that Japan’s opposition parties have too many fundamental differences to agree on a single candidate for prime minister.

Takaichi is poised to be the first female prime minister in Japan’s history.