Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba won the vote on Friday for the position of party leader in the Japanese LDP, and thus also becomes the country’s new prime minister.
– I will make Japan a country where people can live with a smile on their faces again, he said when he announced that he would become the country’s next prime minister.
The party had to choose a new leader after Fumio Kishida recently announced that he will step down as party leader and prime minister before the end of his term.
The conservative DLP has ruled Japan almost continuously since the 1950s, but these days the party is falling in the polls.
Particularly concerned with defence
The former defense minister is known for his in-depth knowledge of security policy. Ishiba has pushed to strengthen Japan’s defenses and has advocated an “Asian NATO”. However, he is cautious in his mention of neighboring China.
Ishiba believes that Japan’s military should be able to react more strongly when the country’s airspace or waters are violated. According to him, “warning shot” is currently the only option, something Ishiba believes China is very aware of.
It caused a stir when, two years ago, Japanese politicians wanted to change the constitution to strengthen their defense. The country, which has a dark history of brutal war crimes, today has a constitutional clause that effectively prohibits them from participating in war.
– My life’s work is security, disaster prevention and the reconstruction of rural regions, Ishiba recently said in an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. He then promised that these would be important issues for him as prime minister.
Many fighting cases
He has a job to do in garnering the confidence of the electorate. Recently, a poll showed that only 15.5 percent of Japanese voters thought the government was doing a good job.
Ishiba has said he will speed up the economy, including by encouraging investment in the country’s technology sector. And then with a particular focus on companies that deal with computer chips and artificial intelligence.
He has also advocated raising corporation tax. He will use this money to strengthen the defense with the aim of spending the same amount as the NATO countries – i.e. 2 per cent of gross domestic product.
Like Norway, Japan is also struggling with low birth rates. This is also an issue the new prime minister has high on his to-do list. He wants to make better arrangements for people in work to also be able to raise children, as well as expand support for parents.
A record number of applicants
There was excitement at the outset as to whether Japan could now have its first female prime minister. Two women were on the list, ministers Sanae Takaichi and Yoko Kamikawa, but Japan did not get a female prime minister this time either.
In the end it was between Ishiba and Takaichi, the incumbent Minister of Economic Security. In the vote, Ishiba received 215 votes, while Takaichi received 194.
– I consider this to be my last fight, Ishiba said when he announced his candidacy last month.
The 67-year-old beat out a total of eight opposing candidates. A record number of candidates stood in the leadership contest, and it was both elected officials and the grassroots who voted.
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2024-09-28 09:22:09
