Shigeru Ishiba, a former defence minister and veteran conservative who has advocated an Asian version of Nato, has won the race to become Japan’s next prime minister.
Ishiba (67) narrowly beat his nearest rival, hardline nationalist Sanae Takaichi in a runoff on Friday on his fifth attempt to become president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The Diet, or Japanese parliament, will officially appoint the new prime minister on October 1st, replacing the outgoing Fumio Kishida.
“We must believe in the people and speak the truth with courage and sincerity,” he said after his win was confirmed. “I will do my utmost to make Japan a safe and secure country where everyone can live with a smile on their face once again.”
Regarded as a pragmatic conservative and a vocal proponent of clean politics, Ishiba won despite being distrusted within the LDP, where some view him as disloyal.
He has repeatedly feuded with the party and its elders over political differences and corruption, most recently over a slush fund scandal that helped sink Kishida. “If money is necessary for politics, it should be done with moderation,” he said when announcing his candidacy last month.
His runoff against Takaichi, an ethno-nationalist with much more hawkish views on China, was seen by some as a battle for the soul of the party, which has been in power for all but a handful of years since 1955.
Ishiba has repeatedly argued that Japan’s pacifist constitution, written by the US occupation after the war, must be changed to align with the reality that Japan has one of the world’s most powerful militaries
Ishiba twice ran and lost against Takaichi’s mentor, Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister who was assassinated in 2022. His term is likely to mark a break with the more ideological rule of Abe and his successors.
Ishiba favours a military balance with China coupled with renewed attempts at backchannel diplomacy, which he believes dangerously faltered during the Abe years. He said during his campaign that he wants to build a collective security system in Asia, a plan that Takaichi and others view as a non-starter.
The LDP election came amid growing tensions with China, after Kishida this week ordered a Japanese self-defence destroyer to sail through the Taiwan Strait for the first time, infuriating Beijing.
Japan’s political class is divided over how to deal with China’s growing military clout, with some such as Takaichi arguing for a more confrontational approach.
Kishida will be remembered for a couple of signature policies, notably his pledge to double Japan’s military spending to two per cent of GDP.
Ishiba has expressed doubts about how the defence hike can be paid for and wants Japan to pass a national security law, spelling out the nation’s military responsibilities.
He has repeatedly argued that Japan’s pacifist constitution, written by the US occupation after the war, must be changed to align with the reality that Japan has one of the world’s most powerful militaries.
Ishiba’s political brand is built on his rural roots and 38-year political career. He has pledged to shift power from Tokyo and revitalise the countrywide.
He was a critic of Abenomics, the economic creed of his predecessor, which revved up the economy and stock market and stoked the profits of big corporations, but left many ordinary Japanese poorer.
Ishiba has said he wants to create a more equitable Japan. Among his proposals is one for higher wealth taxation.
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