Shigeru Ishiba – Artifex.News https://artifexnews.net Stay Connected. Stay Informed. Tue, 01 Oct 2024 13:48:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://artifexnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/cropped-Artifex-Round-32x32.png Shigeru Ishiba – Artifex.News https://artifexnews.net 32 32 Shigeru Ishiba, Defence Geek, Is New Japan Prime Minister https://artifexnews.net/shigeru-ishiba-defence-geek-is-new-japan-prime-minister-6693724rand29/ Tue, 01 Oct 2024 13:48:42 +0000 https://artifexnews.net/shigeru-ishiba-defence-geek-is-new-japan-prime-minister-6693724rand29/ Read More “Shigeru Ishiba, Defence Geek, Is New Japan Prime Minister” »

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The military is expected to be another focus for Shigeru Ishiba,

Tokyo, Japan:

Japan got a new prime minister on Tuesday, with Shigeru Ishiba setting out to jumpstart a lacklustre economy, defuse a demographic crisis and build an Asian NATO to face down China.

Ishiba, 67, says he intends to call a general election for October 27. He won a tight race on Friday to lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed almost continuously for decades.

The former defence minister outlined his policies at a news conference late on Tuesday, warning that “the security environment surrounding our country is the most severe since the end of World War II”.

“With the Japan-US alliance as a foundation, we will expand the circle of friendly and like-minded countries, using diplomacy and defence to realise the peace of Japan and the region,” he said.

Ishiba’s new cabinet of 19 ministers was announced after the LDP-dominated parliament approved his appointment. Just two were women, who have historically been poorly represented in politics and business in Japan.

Foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa, one of five women in the outgoing cabinet, was replaced by Takeshi Iwaya. Katsunobu Kato, who was health minister during the Covid pandemic, was named finance minister, while Gen Nakatani took defence.

Ishiba, who has held at least three previous ministerial posts, tried and failed four times before to become LDP leader.

He finally succeeded this time because, while a divisive figure within the party, he is relatively popular among voters, analysts said, unlike his predecessor Fumio Kishida.

Ishiba’s win “indicates that the LDP sought an experienced leader with broad voter appeal to steer the party in the next national election”, said Yuko Nakano of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“… Ishiba will have the opportunity to reshape the party’s internal dynamics and restore public confidence, while addressing Japan’s broader challenges, including economic stagnation felt by many voters and regional security concerns” if the LDP and its junior coalition partner win an election, Nakano said.

Tumbling stocks

Markets reacted negatively to his selection, with the Nikkei plunging almost five percent on Monday. The benchmark index recovered some ground on Tuesday, closing up 1.9 percent.

Ishiba’s backing of interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan has sent the yen higher, while the prospect of corporate tax hikes has worried investors.

Kato, 68, told Bloomberg News last month that Japan should “keep moving” on interest rates and inflation after years of stagnant prices and borrowing costs “created structural distortions”.

“The Japanese economy stands on the brink of whether to emerge from deflation,” Ishiba said on Tuesday, pledging to continue Kishida’s work.

The military is expected to be another focus for Ishiba, a self-professed defence “geek”.

Kishida undertook to double defence spending and boost ties with the United States and other countries rattled by China’s rise and the behaviour of Russia and North Korea.

A Japanese warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait for the first time last week after a Chinese aircraft carrier steamed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan a week earlier.

Japan has also scrambled fighter jets on multiple occasions in recent weeks to respond to activity by Russian and Chinese aircraft, including in its airspace.

Ishiba, who visited Taiwan in August, backs the creation in the region of a military alliance along the lines of NATO, with its tenet of collective defence.

“Replacing Russia with China and Ukraine with Taiwan, the absence of a collective self-defence system like NATO in Asia means that wars are likely to break out because there is no obligation for mutual defence,” Ishiba said in a recent policy paper.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)



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Japan’s likely next leader Ishiba says he will call election for October 27 https://artifexnews.net/article68700538-ece/ Mon, 30 Sep 2024 08:02:51 +0000 https://artifexnews.net/article68700538-ece/ Read More “Japan’s likely next leader Ishiba says he will call election for October 27” »

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Shigeru Ishiba, the head of Japan’s governing party, the Liberal Democratic Party speaks during a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Tokyo Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, to announce that he plans to call a parliamentary election on October 27
| Photo Credit: AP

Shigeru Ishiba, the head of Japan’s governing party, said Monday (September 30, 2024) he plans to call a parliamentary election to be held on October 27 after he is elected as Prime Minister on Tuesday (October 1, 2024).

Mr. Ishiba was chosen as the Liberal Democratic Party’s leader on Friday (September 27, 2024) and is assured to also succeed Fumio Kishida as Prime Minister because the party’s coalition controls parliament.

Mr. Ishiba mentioned the election date as he announced his top party leadership lineup on Monday (September 30, 2024) ahead of forming his Cabinet. The plan is not official since he is not Prime Minister yet, but Mr. Ishiba said he mentioned the date early for the logistical convenience of those who have to prepare on relatively short notice.

Considered a defence policy expert, Mr. Ishiba secured a come-from-behind win against Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative who hoped to become the country’s first female Prime Minister, in Friday’s (September 27, 2024) vote.

The LDP has had a nearly unbroke tenure governing Japan since World War II. The party members may have seen Mr. Ishiba’s more centrist views as crucial in pushing back challenges by the liberal-leaning opposition and winning voter support as the party reels from corruption scandals that drove down outgoing Mr. Kishida’s popularity.

Mr. Ishiba is a defence and security expert and has proposed an Asian version of the NATO military alliance. He has also advocated for a more equal Japan-U.S. security alliance, including joint management of U.S. bases in Japan and having training bases for Japanese forces in the United States.

Ishiba on Friday (September 27, 2024) stressed Japan needs to reinforce its security, noting recent violations of Japanese airspace by Russian and Chinese warplanes and repeated missile launches by North Korea.

He pledged to continue Mr. Kishida’s economic policy aimed at pulling Japan out of deflation and achieving real salary increases, while tackling challenges such as Japan’s declining birthrate and population and resilence to natural disasters.

Mr. Ishiba, first elected to parliament in 1986, has served as Defence Minister, agriculture minister and in other key Cabinet posts, and was LDP secretary-general under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.



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Shigeru Ishiba: Old hand, new role https://artifexnews.net/article68695437-ece/ Sat, 28 Sep 2024 19:48:00 +0000 https://artifexnews.net/article68695437-ece/ Read More “Shigeru Ishiba: Old hand, new role” »

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Amid scandals and turmoil, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has selected former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba as its new leader. On Tuesday, he will also take on the role of Prime Minister, as the LDP holds a majority in Parliament.

Of late, the ruling dispensation, which has been in power in Japan for most of the post-War era, has seen much turbulence due to internal conflicts and corruption, leading to a plunge in its approval ratings. Japan is also dealing with high inflation and a stagnant economy. Mr. Ishiba has promised to clean up the party, bolster the economy and address national security challenges.

The 67-year-old, who will take over as Japan’s 102nd Prime Minister, is no political novice, having been in politics for four decades.

Mr. Ishiba was born on February 5, 1957 in the rural Tottori prefecture, where his father was Governor. He graduated in 1979 with a law degree from Keio University and joined Mitsui Bank. After a short banking career, Mr. Ishiba began his political career in Tottori prefecture, and was elected to Parliament in 1986. He has held several positions in government, and served as Defence Minister as well as Agriculture and Forestry Minister.

He has been a member of the LDP for most of his political career, save a four-year stint in an Opposition party from 1993 to 1997. Within the LDP, Mr. Ishiba is a part of the more progressive wing, often serving as a dissenting voice and inviting the ire of his colleagues with his views running counter to the party line. He was a vocal critic of former Prime Ministers, including outgoing PM Fumio Kishida. His approach reportedly made it difficult for him to garner the 20 votes needed to qualify as a candidate for Friday’s LDP election, with support mainly coming from rank-and-file members of the LDP.

Mr. Ishiba has been viewed as an “intellectual heavyweight” in the party. He is considered an expert on national security policy and has sought to bolster Japan’s security against external threats, such as Russia, China and North Korea. He has also advocated for lower dependence by the Japanese government on its ally, the U.S, for security support, and called for greater oversight over bases used by U.S forces stationed in Japan. He has suggested the creation of an Asian NATO and a say in how the U.S would use nuclear weapons in Asia.

Reform plans

During his campaign, he mooted changes in governance, suggesting that some Ministries be moved out of Tokyo so as to boost development in other regions. He has also proposed a new agency to oversee the construction of emergency shelters across the country, which is susceptible to natural disasters.

Mr. Ishiba has previously questioned the increased use of nuclear energy and advocated for renewable energy, but has since softened his stance on the matter, saying he would let some reactors remain operational in Japan.

The LDP, which was formed in 1955, has invited public wrath of late. It drew flak for its association with the controversial Unification Church, which has been characterised as a cult by detractors. Further, there were allegations of under-reporting of political funding by party factions over several years, which led to the dissolution of five out of six factions. Japan’s economy faces other challenges—a 30-year-high inflation, ballooning food prices, a weak yen, and stagnant growth. Other issues include an ageing population and challenges within the labour market.

Outgoing PM Kishida declared last month that he would not be seeking re-election, stating in a press conference that it was necessary to show the people that the LDP will change, ahead of the legislative election set to take place before October 2025.

Now, it’s Mr. Ishiba’s responsibility to bring in those changes and make the party and the government better-equipped to tackle the economic and social challenges Japan is facing.



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Former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba chosen to lead Japan’s ruling party https://artifexnews.net/article68689401-ece/ Fri, 27 Sep 2024 07:25:02 +0000 https://artifexnews.net/article68689401-ece/ Read More “Former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba chosen to lead Japan’s ruling party” »

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Shigeru Ishiba waves hands at his supporters after he was elected as new head of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP), during the party’s leadership election on September 27, 2024, in Tokyo.
| Photo Credit: AP

Former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba won an election to lead Japan’s governing party on Friday (September 27, 2024) and will become the new Prime Minister next week.

The party leadership win is a ticket to the top job because the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) ruling coalition currently controls Parliament.

Considered a defence policy expert, Mr. Ishiba has proposed an Asian version of the NATO military alliance and a more equal Japan-U.S. security alliance. Mr. Ishiba is a supporter of Taiwan’s democracy. He calls for an establishment of a disaster management agency in one of the world’s most disaster-prone country.

A record nine candidates, including two women, ran in a vote decided by the party’s lawmakers and grassroots members.

No one won a majority in the first round of voting, forcing a runoff between Mr. Ishiba and Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative who ran against Fumio Kishida in 2021. Ms. Takaichi would have become Japan’s first female Prime Minister.

The current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been dogged by party corruption scandals, and the LDP was looking for a fresh leader in hopes of regaining public trust before a looming general election.

The vote was limited to LDP members of Parliament and about one million dues-paying party members. That’s only 1% of the country’s eligible voters.

Past votes were often determined by the party’s powerful faction leaders, but all but one of the six factions have announced their dissolution following the corruption scandals.

There’s widespread worry among experts that the removal of faction support could return Japan to an era similar to the early 2000s, which saw “revolving door” leadership changes and political instability.

A succession of short-lived governments hurts Japanese Prime Ministers’ ability to set up long-term policy goals or develop trusted relations with other leaders.

On Tuesday (October 1, 2024), Fumio Kishida and his Cabinet Ministers will resign. Mr. Ishiba, after being formally elected in a Parliamentary vote, will then form a new Cabinet later in the day.

The main Opposition — the liberal-leaning Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan — has struggled to build momentum, despite the LDP scandals. But experts say its newly elected leader, centrist former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, is pushing a conservative shift for the party, could trigger a broader political regroupings.



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