Yasuo Fukuda, 71, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Tuesday became Japan’s 91st prime minister, wire reports said.
Fukuda won 338 out of the total 477 votes in designation of the next prime minister at the lower house to be named the prime minister on that day, beating Ichiro Ozawa, 65, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, who won 117 votes.
The upper house appointed Ozawa as next prime minister but the council of both houses failed to unify the designation of next prime minister. Fukuda became the prime minister according to the Constitution regulations which have given priority on the decision of the lower house.
The council of both houses was held for the first time in nine years as the houses propose different prime minister.
Earlier, Shinjo Abe resolved that all the Cabinet members tendered resignation at a cabinet meeting.
Fukuda has become the first son of a prime minister, the late Takeo Fukuda, in the Japanese political history. He is the oldest prime minister, following Kiichi Miyazawa took the post in 1991 at the age of 72.
Fukuda retained nearly all the ministers, including Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga, 63, from Abe's cabinet, which had been reshuffled last month to try to prop up the faltering premier.
He tapped Nobudaka Machimura, 62, an ex-foreign minister and head of the LDP's biggest faction, for the pivotal chief cabinet secretary, and handed diplomacy to ex-defense minister Masahiko Komura, 65, who has held the post before.
Shigeru Ishiba, 50, was tapped to replace Komura as defense chief, a post he has held in the past.
Foreign Minister Taro Aso, Fukuda's sole rival in the LDP leadership race, declined an offer of a cabinet post.
Fukuda views the security alliance with the United States as the basis of foreign policy, but he is less U.S.-centric than Abe and advocates strengthening ties with Asian neighbors, Reuters said.
Fukuda has signaled a softer approach towards dealing with Pyongyang, stressing the need for negotiations to resolve the issue of abductions of Japanese by North Korea.
Fukuda says he will not pay his respects at Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine for the war dead, which is seen by many in Asia as a symbol of past militarism.
He favors building a secular national war memorial, although he said last week that he felt the time was not yet right.