Japan election 2024: Shigeru Ishiba hopes to defy economic woes and party scandals in the first test

CNN
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Polling stations opened their doors on Sunday in Japan’s general elections, a test for new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is seeking voter support for his party, which is facing a scandal just weeks after taking office.

Ishiba, a former defense minister, called early elections immediately after winning the contest for the leadership of his Liberal Democratic Party, the conservative political machine that has ruled Japan almost continuously since the party’s founding in 1955.

By calling for elections, Ishiba (67 years old) seeks to obtain a general mandate for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party amid low support rates and popular anger over one of the largest political scandals the country has witnessed in decades.

The funding scandal involved millions of dollars in undocumented political funds, with lawmakers allegedly lining their pockets with kickbacks or failing to properly declare their income.

Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tried to contain the damage by replacing several ministers and dissolving LDP factions, essentially alliances within the party. But he faced calls to resign and announced in August that he would not run for a second term.

His successor, Ishiba, is also facing popular discontent over the high cost of living, exacerbated by a weak yen, a stagnant economy, and high inflation rates.

The veteran politician pledged financial assistance to low-income families, raising the minimum wage, and regional revitalization, according to Reuters. He also promised a “full exit” from Japan’s high inflation rates, and pledged to achieve “real wage growth.”

Ishiba has made strengthening Japan’s ties with the United States a priority and is seeking deeper ties with allies amid growing security challenges in Asia, including an increasingly assertive China and a belligerent North Korea.

The partnership with Japan has long been central to US Asia-Pacific strategy, and Ishiba Kishida’s predecessor this year expanded defense cooperation between Japan and its key ally. Ishiba called for a more balanced relationship, including greater oversight of US military bases in Japan, Reuters reported.

When he was defense minister, Ishiba was strong on deterrence as a security issue. He even proposed an Asian version of NATO’s security bloc, an idea he appears to have abandoned after the United States rejected it.

Ishiba also supports legislation that could allow married women to keep their maiden names, and said Japan should reduce its reliance on nuclear energy in favor of renewable energy sources.

In a political culture that prizes conformity and compliance, Ishiba has long been an outsider, willing to criticize and oppose his party. His willingness to speak out made him powerful enemies within the LDP, but endeared him to more grassroots members and the public.

He belongs to the more progressive wing of the conservative party. It is likely that his political acumen and experience in domestic and foreign policy allowed him to secure the top position.

On Sunday, voters will choose who will fill the seat in the 465-seat House of Representatives, the lower house of the Japanese parliament.

The parties are competing to win a majority of 233 seats, but there are many other important numbers they can achieve.

The so-called “stable absolute majority” of 261 seats means that the winning party or coalition has a committee chair in all standing committees in addition to a majority of committee members. This enables smoother governance and policy making for the ruling party.

Winning 244 seats means the party has the same number of committee members as the opposition.

The number of seats needed to obtain a two-thirds majority to propose constitutional amendments is 310.

Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito Party again agreed to form a coalition, and before parliament was dissolved before Sunday’s elections, the two parties controlled the chamber with a majority of 279 seats.