TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s parliament was elected on Tuesday Shigeru IshibaThe leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as the country’s new prime minister.
Ishiba was elected party leader on Friday to replace Fumio Kishida, who will step down early on Tuesday. Ishiba took a standing ovation as he was nominated to the lower house, the most powerful of the two houses of parliament, before moving to the prime minister’s office.
Ishiba will announce his new cabinet later on Tuesday.
Kishita took office In 2021, however, his party could produce a new leader after his government was plagued by corruption. Ishiba plans to hold parliamentary elections on October 27.
“I believe it is important for the new administration to get the public’s verdict as soon as possible,” Ishiba said on Monday, announcing his plan to call a snap election after he was formally elected prime minister. He is expected to dissolve Parliament on October 9 ahead of the election campaign.
The opposition criticized Ishiba for announcing such a plan before he became president and for giving his policies a short window of time to be examined and debated in parliament before national elections. Opposition protests delayed the parliamentary vote by about half an hour, marking a rocky start for Ishiba.
“I will face people face to face and discuss policies honestly to get their understanding. My government will not shy away from challenges and get things done,” Ishiba said ahead of the parliamentary vote.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center, speaks as he leaves the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Gome)
Kishida had announced in August that he would step down at the end of his three-year term to make way for a new leader ahead of the next national election as corruption scandals rocked his party and government.
Kishida and his ministers resigned at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. Kishida left his office after a brief send-off ceremony in which he was presented with a bouquet of red roses and applauded by his staff and former cabinet members.
“As we face a critical moment at home and abroad, I look forward to the new cabinet vigorously pursuing the key policies that will pave the way for Japan’s future,” Kishida said in a statement.
Ishiba announced his party leaders on Monday ahead of naming his cabinet. Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who finished third in the party’s leadership race, will head the party’s election working group.
He will have two former defense ministers in his cabinet and is expected to appoint Takeshi Iwaya as foreign minister and General Nakatani as defense chief.
The majority of his cabinet members, including Ishiba, are expected to be unconnected to factions led and controlled by party heavyweights, and none linked to scandals that have damaged former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s powerful group.
The liberal-leaning Asahi newspaper said Ishiba’s lack of a stable power base could also signal the weakness of his government, and although Ishiba believes it will “collapse soon,” it could build party unity as it prepares for upcoming elections.
The move is also seen as revenge for Ishiba, who was largely sidelined for much of Abe’s rule.
Only two of the 19 ministers are expected to be women: actor-turned-lawmaker Junko Mihara as children’s policy minister and Toshiko Abe as education minister.
Ishiba has proposed an Asian version of the NATO military alliance, and further discussion among regional partners about the use of the US nuclear deterrent. He also proposed an equitable Japan-US defense alliance, including joint management of US bases in Japan and having Japanese self-defense forces bases in the US.
Ishiba outlined his views in an article for Hudson last week.
“With no collective defense organization like NATO in Asia, wars are likely to break out as there is no mutual defense obligation. Under these circumstances, the creation of an Asian version of NATO to deter China by its Western allies is imperative,” he wrote.
Ishiba proposes to merge existing security and diplomatic groups such as the Quad and other bilateral and multilateral structures that include the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the Philippines.
He also noted that the Asian version of NATO could also consider sharing control of US nuclear weapons in the region against growing threats from China, North Korea and Russia.
He pledged to continue Kishida’s economic policy, which aimed to lift Japan out of deflation and achieve higher real wages, while tackling challenges such as Japan’s declining birthrate and population and its ability to withstand natural disasters.
The LDP has had an almost unbroken term of office ruling Japan since World War II. Party members may see Ishiba’s centrist views as key to fending off challenges from the liberal-leaning opposition and winning voter support as the party reels from corruption scandals that dented Kishida’s popularity.
First elected to parliament in 1986, Ishiba has served as defense minister, agriculture minister and other key cabinet posts, and was LDP secretary-general under Abe.
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