Tokyo  -  Japan’s next prime minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday outlined his ideas to reshape the nation’s military alliance with Washington, after winning the conservative ruling party’s leadership race. The seasoned 67-year-old former defence minister beat arch-nationalist Sanae Takaichi -- who would have been the country’s first-ever woman leader -- in the final round.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed almost uninterrupted for decades and holds a majority, meaning Ishiba will be elected premier by parliament on Tuesday.

In a press conference on Friday, Ishiba vowed to restore confidence in the party after a funding scandal and gave a cautious run-down of his key reform pledges.