Tokyo - The head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Taro Aso, was elected Japan's prime minister Wednesday after Yasuo Fukuda and his cabinet resigned en masse earlier in the day. Aso, 68, received a majority of votes in the LDP-controlled House of Representatives, which has the final say in selecting a prime minister.
The opposition-controlled upper house, the House of Councillors, was expected to select Ichiro Ozawa, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, as premier.
The LDP elected the conservative Aso as its president Monday after Fukuda announced his resignation.
