Japan’s Parliament ratifies Shigeru Ishiba as new prime minister

Ishiba is committed to continuity and focuses on the fight against the economic crisis

Oct. 1 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Parliament of Japan has ratified this Tuesday the former Minister of Defense Shigeru Ishiba as the new prime minister after he won the primary elections of the government Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last week in which he beat the other favorite, Sanae Takaichi, in the second round.

Ishiba, who now faces the arduous task of resolving the party’s internal differences, has promised that the Japanese will have to go to the polls before the end of the month of October, expectedly on the 27th.

Thus, he has taken the opportunity to announce the first appointments of his Government, for which he has chosen those party figures who have emerged practically unscathed from the controversial scandals that have hit the most powerful factions of the party and have called into question public opinion’s confidence in Japanese politics.

However, among the people chosen by Ishiba to be part of his cabinet are also politicians close to former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his successor, Fumio Kishida, now outgoing Prime Minister.

The new head of the Executive – who will have to face the economic crisis and growing security threats – plans to carry out the elections, which have already been opposed by opposition voices, who have attacked the electoral calendar .

Ishiba, 67, is considered a security expert and will likely face a difficult start to his term in office as he tries to restore voter confidence in the ruling party. The decision to call early elections has met with resistance from opposition parties, who claim that it is “disrespectful” and “unconstitutional.”

In total, Ishiba’s appointment resulted in 291 votes in favor (out of 461) in the Lower House of Parliament. In the House of Councilors, the former minister has won 143 votes out of a total of 242, according to information collected by the Japanese news agency Kiodo.

NEW COMPOSITION

Shortly after, Ishiba announced that the Foreign Ministry will be in the hands of Takeshi Iwaya, while the Defense Ministry will be led by General Nakatani. The two have played a fundamental role in Ishiba’s election as leader of the PLD.

In addition, it has given two former prime ministers, Taro Aso and Yoshihide Suga, the symbolic positions of senior advisor and vice president, respectively. Ishiba has clarified that he has no intention of deviating from the economic policy applied by his predecessor, which sought to boost wages.

For his part, Yoshimasa Hayashi, the main spokesperson for the Kishida Government and one of the nine candidates in the LDP primaries, will retain his position as Chief of Staff, while former Health Minister Katsunobu Katu will be Minister of Finance.

On defense issues, he has expressed his intention to push for the creation of a security agreement to establish an Asian NATO to deal with growing tensions between China and Taiwan, while expressing his desire to review an agreement between Japan and the United States. , in search of a “more egalitarian” alliance.