Date of birth: July 29, 1957

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Hiroshima No. 1 (seventh term)

Kishida, the LDP's former Diet affairs chief, was born to a political family. His father and grandfather were politicians, and former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa is a distant relative.

Considered close to retired LDP heavyweight Makoto Koga, Kishida took charge of his faction in October.

He has been state minister for Okinawa-related issues and the Russian-held islands, for science and technology policy, and for regulatory reform under Shinzo Abe.

He also served as state minister in charge of consumer affairs and food safety under Yasuo Fukuda in 2008.

Kishida was tapped as foreign minister in hopes that his background will help overcome the standoff in relocating U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, and the island dispute with Russia.

The Hiroshima native entered the Diet in July 1993.