Shigeru Ishiba: Former Abe Critic Elected as Japan's New Prime Minister

Shigeru Ishiba: Abe-critic wins Japan top job at last

Tokyo (AFP) - Shigeru Ishiba, who will be Japan's next prime minister after winning his party's leadership vote on Friday, is a seasoned lawmaker known for his in-depth security policy knowledge. A former defence minister, Ishiba's push to boost the military and call for the creation of an Asian NATO could rile Beijing, but he is careful with his words concerning China. He argues that Japan's military should be able to take a stronger response when territorial airspace or waters are breached. Currently a warning shot is the only option, and China is "well aware" of that, he has said. Although he is relatively popular with the public, Ishiba has had four failed bids to lead his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), including a 2012 try against his arch-rival Shinzo Abe before prevailing this time against a nationalist. For a long time Ishiba alienated party heavyweights with his "outspoken criticism of LDP policies under Abe", said Yu Uchiyama, a politics professor at the University of Tokyo. But recently he has been "vocal about the need for the LDP to turn over a new leaf when it comes to the funding scandal and other issues", which may have worked in his favour. He has also proposed creating a government agency in charge of disaster prevention in the earthquake-prone country that is also frequently hit by typhoons and heavy rains. "My life's work is security, disaster prevention, and the revitalisation of rural regions," Ishiba said in a recent interview with the Mainichi Shimbun daily, pledging to focus on these issues as prime minister. 'Don't repeat mistakes' Ishiba, whose politician father was at one point a Cabinet minister, grew up in the remote rural region of Tottori. He read law at university and became a banker before entering politics, winning his first parliamentary seat with the LDP in 1986, aged 29. During his long career, the father of two has held several key posts including LDP secretary general and minister for agriculture. The political veteran is a fan of trains, 1970s pop idols and making military models -- including one of a Soviet aircraft carrier for the visit of a Russian defence minister. In the run-up to Friday's vote, Ishiba pledged to boost the economy by encouraging domestic investment in the chip and AI sectors among other policies, such as using nuclear power alongside renewables to fuel the resource-poor country. He supports the Bank of Japan's exit from its longstanding unorthodox monetary easing policies -- championed by Abe -- and has said "there is room for raising the corporate tax". The money raised by this tax hike will help the government in its existing plan to ramp up defence spending to the NATO standard of two percent of GDP by 2027, according to Ishiba. He aims to raise Japan's low birth rate through measures including a review of the country's notorious long working hours and expanding support for parents, and wants to fight rural depopulation by revitalising regional economies. Ishiba has said he is uniquely qualified for the job because he has experienced many setbacks when tackling tough social issues, such as agriculture reforms. "I have always asked myself why and how things didn't always go well. I don't want future generations to repeat the same mistakes," he said in a debate on Wednesday.

Shigeru Ishiba: Abe-critic wins Japan top job at last

TOKYO (AFP) - Shigeru Ishiba, who will be Japan's next prime minister after winning his party's leadership vote on Friday, is a seasoned lawmaker known for his in-depth security policy knowledge. A former defence minister, Ishiba's push to boost the military and call for the creation of an Asian NATO could rile Beijing, but he is careful with his words concerning China. He argues that Japan's military should be able to take a stronger response when territorial airspace or waters are breached. Currently a warning shot is the only option, and China is "well aware" of that, he has said. Although he is relatively popular with the public, Ishiba has had four failed bids to lead his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), including a 2012 try against his arch-rival Shinzo Abe before prevailing this time against a nationalist. For a long time Ishiba alienated party heavyweights with his "outspoken criticism of LDP policies under Abe", said Yu Uchiyama, a politics professor at the University of Tokyo. But recently he has been "vocal about the need for the LDP to turn over a new leaf when it comes to the funding scandal and other issues", which may have worked in his favour. He has also proposed creating a government agency in charge of disaster prevention in the earthquake-prone country that is also frequently hit by typhoons and heavy rains. "My life's work is security, disaster prevention, and the revitalisation of rural regions," Ishiba said in a recent interview with the Mainichi Shimbun daily, pledging to focus on these issues as prime minister. Don't repeat mistakes Ishiba, whose politician father was at one point a Cabinet minister, grew up in the remote rural region of Tottori. He read law at university and became a banker before entering politics, winning his first parliamentary seat with the LDP in 1986, aged 29. During his long career, the father of two has held several key posts including LDP secretary general and minister for agriculture. The political veteran is a fan of trains, 1970s pop idols and making military models -- including one of a Soviet aircraft carrier for the visit of a Russian defence minister. In the run-up to Friday's vote, Ishiba pledged to boost the economy by encouraging domestic investment in the chip and AI sectors among other policies, such as using nuclear power alongside renewables to fuel the resource-poor country. He supports the Bank of Japan's exit from its longstanding unorthodox monetary easing policies - championed by Abe - and has said "there is room for raising the corporate tax". The money raised by this tax hike will help the government in its existing plan to ramp up defence spending to the NATO standard of two percent of GDP by 2027, according to Ishiba. He aims to raise Japan's low birth rate through measures including a review of the country's notorious long working hours and expanding support for parents, and wants to fight rural depopulation by revitalising regional economies. Ishiba has said he is uniquely qualified for the job because he has experienced many setbacks when tackling tough social issues, such as agriculture reforms. "I have always asked myself why and how things didn't always go well. I don't want future generations to repeat the same mistakes," he said in a debate on Wednesday.

Military model aircraft enthusiast to become Japan's new prime minister

Shigeru Ishiba takes a tough line on foreign policy and is an advocate of a strong Japanese military at a time of volatility in east Asia Nicola Smith Asia Correspondent 27 September 2024 11:02am A former defence minister who has backed the formation of an "Asian Nato" is set to become the next prime minister of Japan after he was elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Friday. Shigeru Ishiba will take over the reins from Fumio Kishida, the outgoing prime minister, who announced in August that he would step down after a series of political scandals hit the LDP, fuelling calls for him to resign. Mr Ishiba takes a tough line on foreign policy, but is also known for his hobbies of model military aircraft and railways, and his penchant for 1970s pop music. He once attended the opening of a museum of figurines of popular comic characters in his home prefecture dressed as a character from the Dragon Ball cartoon. The 67-year old won Friday's vote after it was pushed into a runoff with Sanae Takaichi, the economic security minister, blocking her path to making history as the country's first ever female prime minister. Mr Ishiba takes the helm of the world's fourth-largest economy at a time of geopolitical volatility in the Indo-Pacific region and increasingly troubled ties between Tokyo and Beijing over China's territorial ambitions, particularly around the disputed Senkaku Islands. Earlier this week, China test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific, reportedly without giving Japan prior notice. Japan also faces security threats from nuclear-armed North Korea. The new Japanese leader has previously proposed a Nato-style collective security to counter these threats and he supports Taiwanese democracy, having declared that: "If there is an emergency in Taiwan, it is an emergency in Japan." He is an advocate of a strong Japanese military that should be able to take a stronger response if its territorial airspace or waters are breached. But he also chooses his words carefully when it comes to China and has called for deeper engagement and more diplomacy with Beijing. The former banker first entered politics in 1986 and has served as defence minister, agriculture minister and secretary general of the LDP. His latest bid for the leadership was his fifth attempt and self-described "last battle" to reach the top. "We must believe in the people and speak the truth with courage and sincerity," Mr Ishiba said after his victory was declared, reported the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. "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." One of his first major tasks will be to regain public trust in the conservative LDP that has ruled Japan almost continuously since it was founded in 1955. In recent months, the party has been plagued by controversy after two of its most influential factions were accused of failing to properly declare income and expenditure, and high-ranking officials were embroiled in allegations of election law violations. In mid-July, the Kishida cabinet's public approval ratings stood at just 15.5 per cent, the lowest since 2012, according to a Jiji Press opinion poll. Mr Ishiba belongs to the more progressive wing of the party and has been known to irk colleagues because of his willingness to criticise and go against the LDP hierarchy. He was a long-time political rival to Shinzo Abe, the late former prime minister. His outspokenness appears to have made him more popular with sections of the electorate. According to the Nikkei Asia newspaper, citing its own polling, his frequent visits to rural Japan have raised his profile and voter popularity. The September 13-15 poll showed that 26 per cent of respondents thought him more suitable to be the next LDP leader than other contenders. He enters office promising to help revitalise small towns and to address population decline. He has also pledged to boost the economy by encouraging domestic investment in the chip and AI sectors. As leader, Mr Ishiba will likely have less time for hobbies but, according to his official website, the seasoned politician, a father of two daughters, likes to make curry. He is also known to be a fan of trains, 1970s Japanese pop idols the Candies, and of making military models - including one of a Soviet aircraft carrier for the visit of a Russian defence minister.