TOKYO, JAPAN – SEPTEMBER 06: Former Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan on September 06, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. Ishiba and former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi are the front runners in the upcoming presidential election race for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, according to recent opinion polls. (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)
Tomohiro Ohsumi | Getty Images News | Getty Images
New Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba unveiled his government on Tuesday as he seeks to address party divisions and secure a national mandate through early elections to be held on October 27.
Parliament earlier in the day confirmed the appointment of the 67-year-old former defense minister, who last week won a close contest to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as prime minister. He is scheduled to hold his first press conference later today in Tokyo.
The Ishiba administration's approach to diplomacy with Japan's closest ally, the United States, will be a focus, as he has repeatedly called for a more balanced relationship with Washington.
He also proposed creating an Asian version of NATO's Collective Security Group to deter China, an idea that could anger Beijing and has already been rejected by a senior US official as hasty.
Ishiba must work to calm the anger simmering at home over the high costs of living and a stagnant economy, and navigate a volatile security environment in East Asia fueled by the nuclear-armed policies of China and North Korea.
The veteran lawmaker, who is seen as somewhat of an outsider to the party and has failed in four previous attempts to lead the country, has appointed a mix of rivals, allies and a cabinet of 20 ministers that includes only two women, less than half of the previous administration.
The government announced that the men included two leadership contenders in key positions: Katsunobu Kato as finance minister and Yoshimasa Hayashi who will remain as chief cabinet secretary, a position that includes the role of chief government spokesman.
The appointment of Kato, a proponent of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's expansionary fiscal and monetary policies, “Abenomics,” appears to have been a balancing act to ease concerns about the next government's economic strategy.
The Nikkei stock average fell nearly 5% on Monday in reaction to a stronger yen after Ishiba beat Sanae Takaishi, a monetary dovish and fiscal expansionist, in a leadership contest on Friday. The index recovered on Tuesday.
Ishiba's close ally, Takeshi Iwaya, a former defense minister, will take over as foreign minister, while General Nakatani will return to the defense ministry, a position he held in 2016. Yuji Muto, a former state minister, will take charge at the defense ministry. Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
In his victory speech on Friday, he spoke of the need to bolster Japan's security following recent territorial incursions by Chinese and Russian military ships.
Outside the tent
Five of the lawmakers who ran with him in the leadership race were not included in his cabinet and were not appointed to key party positions.
Among them is Takaishi, a hardline conservative who won by 215 votes to 194 on Friday in the closest leadership election in nearly seven decades. Local media reported that she rejected a senior position in the party.
This could make it difficult for Ishiba, the front-runner in public opinion polls, to manage a divided ruling group plagued by scandals including unrecorded donations at fundraisers.
Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said he plans to attack the LDP over its scandals in the upcoming election.
“We cannot establish proper governance through false regime change,” Noda told NHK.
But despite its problems, the party that ruled Japan for most of the postwar period is still likely to cling to power in the next election given the weakness of the opposition in Japan.
A third of respondents in a Mainichi newspaper poll at the weekend said they supported the Liberal Democratic Party, compared to 15% for Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party.
More than half of participants, including those who support opposition parties, said they were optimistic about Ishiba's appointment.
