Analysts say Kishida is seen as a consensus builder, an establishment choice who represents stability. But the political veteran wasn't the popular choice -- he had lackluster support from the public and struggled to shake off his image as a boring bureaucrat.

His first major test will be the next general election, in which he'll be the face of a party that's been criticized for its handling of the pandemic under Suga.

"He's not going to be a TV star. He's not going to capture the imagination of the average Japanese person. But the Japanese people want stability and security, and I think he will be able to provide that," said Keith Henry, president of political risk and business consulting firm Asia Strategy.

What to expect from Kishida's administration

In his first address as prime minister on Monday, Kishida said his top priority would be to implement effective Covid-19 counter-measures, such as vaccinations, increased testing and providing support to the country's health services.

"We will thoroughly analyze the corona response so far and examine what was the bottleneck of the crisis response," Kishida said.

As expected, Kishida announced the date for the next general election for October 31. He will dissolve the House of Representatives on October 14, the final day of an extraordinary Diet session, setting the stage for election campaigning to start on October 19.

His first address also focused on his economic plan for the country, which is to develop "new capitalism" in which wealth is distributed more equally among all members of society. Kishida campaigned on narrowing the income gap, saying the eponymous economic policies of Abe -- known as "Abenomics" -- failed to "trickle down" from the rich to the poor. He has also proposed a hefty recovery package worth "several tens of trillions" of yen to steer Japan's economy out of its pandemic-induced slump.

"A deep feeling among the Japanese people that this gap between the haves and have-nots, the gap between wealth, wages and opportunity is increasing," Henry said.

Other key policies announced were his government's efforts to a reach a global society free of nuclear weapons, and to lead the world in promoting global warming countermeasures and creating new rules such as reliable and free data distribution (DFFT).

In his Monday address, Kishida -- who faces an increasingly aggressive North Korea -- also announced that he was willing to meet Kim Jong Un "without any conditions" to secure the return of Japanese abductees.

"The abduction issue is the most important issue," he said. "We will do our utmost to realize the earliest possible return of all abductees."

The new prime minister has also said he wants to take measures against the country's declining birthrate, and believes nuclear energy should be considered as a clean energy option.

Analysts question whether Kishida will be a lasting leader, or whether Japan will return to a period of political instability similar to that of the pre-Abe era, when Japan cycled through six prime ministers in six years.

On Monday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent a congratulatory letter to Kishida, expressing hope the two leaders will develop Korea-Japan relations and cooperate as neighboring countries, South Korea's Blue House said.