Reformer elected Japan's new leader

Junichiro Koizumi, a fiery reformer, has been elected to lead Japan’s ruling party and replace Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori as premier.

Koizumi, 59 defeated former prime minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in the two-tiered vote, which included 141 ballots divided up among the party’s local chapters and 346 cast by its members of Parliament.

‘‘This election was held against an unprecedented headwind,’’ Koizumi said in accepting the post. ‘‘I promised to change the party and to change Japan, and fortunately, many party members supported my call.’’

Koizumi won 298 votes, to 155 for Hashimoto. A third candidate, economy minister Taro Aso, won 31 votes.

Koizumi is expected to be installed as Prime Minister on Thursday. The Liberal Democrats’ president is assured of the premiership because of the strength of the party and its two junior coalition partners.

Koizumi’s victory underscores a growing sense of crisis among the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s 2.3 million rank-and-file members.

Japan has had eight Prime Ministers over the past 10 years.

Unemployment is at near-record levels of around 5%, bankruptcies are high and a deflationary trend is deepening.

Mori, who was installed by party powerbrokers after the sudden death of Keizo Obuchi a year ago, has been blamed for failing to turn the economy around.

He has further angered the public with his repeated political gaffes, including his decision to continue a golf game after hearing of the fatal collision between a US submarine and a Japanese high school’s fishing boat off Hawaii in February.

Many party members particularly its younger, less established politicians were angry that no election was held for Mori, and wanted a fresh leader to erase Mori’s disastrous image before elections for Parliament were held in July.

To accommodate their concerns, the party leadership decided to give the local chapters the 141 votes in this election - opening the way for Koizumi’s surprising surge.

Still, doubts remain over whether Koizumi, who had failed in two previous attempts to become prime minister, would be able to generate substantial change.

Despite Koizumi’s broad popular support, he remains a largely untested politician on national and diplomatic issues.

Although he has been elected to Parliament 10 times, his top post had been that of Health Minister.