TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's former foreign minister Fumio Kishida won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race on Wednesday, virtually ensuring he will become the next prime minister.

       He vowed to lead a transformed party in a general election due within weeks and to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

       Here are the next steps and important dates in Japan's political calendar.

       What is at stake?

       What's happens next?

       When is the next general election?

       (Reporting by Sakura Murakami, Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Michael Perry, Robert Birsel)