TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s parliament was elected Tuesday Shigeru Ishibahead of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as the country’s new prime minister.
Ishiba was chosen as party leader on Friday, replacing Fumio Kishida, who resigned earlier on Tuesday to pave the way. Ishiba stood and bowed as he was nominated for membership in the House of Representatives, the more powerful of the two houses of parliament, before leaving for the prime minister’s office to form his government.
Ishiba is scheduled to hold a press conference later Tuesday to announce his government and some of his policy priorities.
Kishida took office in 2021 but left so that his party could have a new leader after his government was plagued by scandal. Ishiba said he intends to call parliamentary elections on October 27 so that his new administration can obtain “people’s rule” as soon as possible.
Ishiba has appointed to his cabinet two former defense ministers with whom he worked closely – Takeshi Iwaya as Foreign Minister and General Nakatani as Defense Minister – underscoring his focus on defense and security policies.
Of the 19 ministers, only two are women: actor-turned-legislator Junko Miyahara as Minister of Children’s Policy, and Toshiko Abe as Minister of Education. The government is under pressure to increase the number of women in public office. Women now represent just 10% of the House of Representatives, putting Japan near the bottom of global gender equality rankings.
Ishiba appointed several ministers who had voted for him in the party leadership poll and retained Kishida’s chief advisor, Yoshimasa Hayashi, as chief cabinet secretary. He also appointed Katsunobu Kato as Minister of Finance. Hayashi also previously served as Minister of Defense.
The majority of his cabinet members, including Ishiba, do not belong to factions led and controlled by party heavyweights, and none of them belong to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s powerful group linked to damaging scandals.
Lawmakers wait for the start of the special session in the lower house of parliament on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
The liberal-leaning Asahi newspaper said Ishiba’s lack of a stable power base could also mean his government would be fragile and “could collapse quickly,” though Ishiba hopes to build party unity as it prepares for the next election.
The move is also seen as retaliation by Ishiba, who was largely pushed aside for much of Abe’s rule.
Ishiba announced his party leaders on Monday before naming his government. Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who came in third in the party leadership race, will head the party’s election working group.
He added: “I will confront people frankly and discuss policies sincerely to gain their understanding. “My government will not give up on challenges and get things done,” Ishiba said before the parliamentary vote.
Opposition leaders criticized Ishiba for announcing such a plan even before he became leader and only allowing his policies to be studied and discussed in parliament until October 9, before the national elections. Opposition protests delayed the start of parliamentary voting by about half an hour, signaling a difficult start for Ishiba.
Kishida announced in August that he would resign at the end of his three-year term to pave the way for a new leader before the next national elections, at a time when corruption scandals have dogged his party and government.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kishida and his ministers resigned during a cabinet meeting. Kishida left his office after a short farewell ceremony in which he was presented with a bouquet of red roses and applauded by his employees and former cabinet members.
“As we face a critical moment at home and abroad, I strongly hope that the new government will vigorously pursue key policies that will guide Japan’s future,” Kishida said in a statement.
Ishiba has proposed creating an Asian version of the NATO military alliance and further discussions among regional partners on the use of the US nuclear deterrent. He also proposed a more egalitarian Japan-US security alliance, including joint management of US bases in Japan and the establishment of Japanese Self-Defense Force bases in the United States.
Ishiba made his views clear in an article for the Hudson Institute last week.
Ishiba suggests combining existing security and diplomatic groupings, such as the Quad and other bilateral and multilateral frameworks that include the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the Philippines.
He noted that the Asian version of NATO could also consider sharing control of US nuclear weapons in the region as a deterrent against growing threats from China, North Korea and Russia.
He pledged to continue Kishida’s economic policy aimed at pulling Japan out of recession and achieving real wage increases, while addressing challenges such as Japan’s low birth rate, population and resilience to natural disasters.
The Liberal Democratic Party has had almost continuous rule in Japan since World War II. Party members may have seen Ishiba’s more centrist views as crucial in fending off challenges from the liberal-leaning opposition and winning voter support at a time when the party is reeling from corruption scandals that have dented Kishida’s popularity.
Ishiba, who was first elected to parliament in 1986, has served as defense minister, agriculture minister and other key cabinet positions, and was secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party under Abe.
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