Japan’s Shigeru Ishiba should become prime minister

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s ruling party chose former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba as its leader Friday, placing him as prime minister next week.

The party leadership is a gateway to top positions, as the Liberal Democratic Party government coalition controls Parliament.

Considered an expert on defense policy, Ishiba won a come-from-behind victory against Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative who hoped to become the country’s first female prime minister.

The LDP, which has enjoyed almost uninterrupted power since World War II, may have viewed Ishiba’s more centrist views as crucial to fending off challenges from the liberal-leaning opposition and winning voter support as the party is recovering from the corruption scandals that brought down the outgoing party. That of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida popularity.

After his victory was announced, Ishiba stood, saluted and bowed several times. “I will devote my whole body and soul to making Japan a safe and secure country where everyone can live with a smile,” he told lawmakers.

Ishiba is expected to call a general election to try to capitalize on his victory, but it is unclear when.

Ishiba proposed an Asian version of the NATO military alliance and a more equitable security alliance between Japan and the United States, including the presence of Japan Self-Defense Force bases in the United States. He is a supporter of Taiwan’ it’s democracy. It also advocates the creation of a disaster management agency in one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.

Ishiba, first elected to Parliament in 1986, has served as defense minister, agriculture minister and other key Cabinet posts, and served as general secretary of the LDP under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

But he has long been viewed with suspicion by powerful conservatives in his party. The 67-year-old former banker was running for the party leadership for the fifth time and declared that this would be his “final battle”.

A hawk on defense issues, Ishiba has irked some party leaders by supporting measures to narrow gender gaps and legalize same-sex marriage.

A record nine legislatorsincluding two women, showed up for the vote decided by PLD deputies and around a million contributing party members. That’s just 1% of the country’s eligible voters.

Some experts say intra-party unrest could mean Japan returns to a similar era in the early 2000s, which saw “revolving door” leadership changes and political instability.

A succession of short-lived governments undermines the ability of Japanese prime ministers to set long-term policy goals or develop trusting relationships with other leaders.

Tuesday, Kishida and his cabinet ministers will resign. Ishiba, after being officially elected in a parliamentary vote, will then form a new cabinet later today.

Kishida congratulated Ishiba on his victory and said his election was the first step for a new LDP.

“The PLD will be reborn, will live up to the people’s expectations and will obtain results,” he declared. As Japan faces security tensions in the region and elsewhere, Japan must strengthen its own defense power and ties with the United States, he said.

The main opposition group, the liberal-leaning Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, has struggled to build momentum despite the LDP’s scandals. Experts say its newly elected leader, centrist former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, is pushing the party toward a conservative shift in order to attract influential voters.

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