Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba came to power on Tuesday last week in his fifth attempt to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). There is little mood of celebration in Japan, with a plummeting stock market and a record-low approval rating for its new cabinet.
Ishiba’s approval rating stood at about 51 percent, polls showed one day after his inauguration. This was the lowest inaugural rating in data going back to 2002.
Ishiba previously criticized former Japanese minister of the environment Shinjiro Koizumi for vowing to dissolve the House of Representatives ahead of the party’s presidential election. Nonetheless, he did exactly the same thing on Wednesday after winning the election, making his Cabinet the shortest-lived in the post-war era. His inconsistency makes it hard for voters to trust him.
His Cabinet also did not include anyone from the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s faction. Ishiba even tapped former Japanese minister of state for regulatory reform Seiichiro Murakami, who was suspended for a year after calling Abe a “public enemy” during his state funeral, as the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications. The nomination was tantamount to rubbing salt into the wounds of Abe’s faction.
Former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso became top advisor to the party. Former minister of state for economic security Sanae Takaichi, who came first in the first round of voting of the party’s leadership race, also has no new role in the party.
Ishiba’s nepotism and elimination of opponents have made it hard for party members to unite against their enemy. Despite the conservative faction’s domination in the party, the faction’s diehard members were excluded from the party’s leadership.
Former Japanese prime ministers Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida, Ishiba’s kingmakers, appear united, but are divided at heart — Suga is right-leaning and Kishida is left-leaning. It would be hard for Ishiba to take the helm with such a rift in the party’s leadership.
Ishiba shared his views on the future of Japan’s foreign policy with the Hudson Institute before he was elected as the party’s president:
First, he would revise the Japan-US Treaty, an “asymmetrical bilateral treaty,” into a treaty between “equal partners.”
Second would be to expand the scope of joint management of US bases in Japan.
Third is to allow Japan’s Self-Defense Forces to be stationed in Guam.
Fourth, he would consider sharing control of nuclear weapons with the US or the introduction of nuclear weapons on Japanese soil.
Fifth would be to establish an Asian NATO.
The US would not agree with the first three points. The world is now at a critical point as it has seen the Russia-Ukraine war, the Middle East conflict, tension in the Taiwan Strait and US-China tensions. The US would doubt and disapprove of Ishiba’s attempt to bargain, especially if former US president Donald Trump wins the presidential election.
Kishida, born in Hiroshima, has refuted the fourth point with the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, which state that Japan shall neither possess nor manufacture nuclear weapons, nor shall it permit their introduction into Japanese territory.
Additionally, India does not share the vision for an “Asian NATO” and the US has rebuffed such calls, especially before Japan amends its constitution.
Ishiba used to be a member of the opposition faction of the LDP. He rose to fame for criticizing the inner circle of the party. He does not know how difficult it is to be a decisionmaker, as he was not part of the leadership.
He vowed to increase salaries and promote investment in his plan to bolster the economy. However, increasing salaries and promoting investment are contradictory and hence not promising.
He would probably fail to deliver his economic policy. Plus, without the support of the diehard conservatives, he would be skating on the thinnest of ice and would barely make any strides even if he managed to win the snap election.
Wang Hui-sheng is chief director of the Kisei Ladies’ and Children’s Hospital in Japan and a founding member of the East Asian Research Institute.
Translated by Fion Khan
There is a modern roadway stretching from central Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa, to the partially recognized state’s Egal International Airport. Emblazoned on a gold plaque marking the road’s inauguration in July last year, just below the flags of Somaliland and the Republic of China (ROC), is the road’s official name: “Taiwan Avenue.” The first phase of construction of the upgraded road, with new sidewalks and a modern drainage system to reduce flooding, was 70 percent funded by Taipei, which contributed US$1.85 million. That is a relatively modest sum for the effect on international perception, and
When former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) first took office in 2016, she set ambitious goals for remaking the energy mix in Taiwan. At the core of this effort was a significant expansion of the percentage of renewable energy generated to keep pace with growing domestic and global demands to reduce emissions. This effort met with broad bipartisan support as all three major parties placed expanding renewable energy at the center of their energy platforms. However, over the past several years partisanship has become a major headwind in realizing a set of energy goals that all three parties profess to want. Tsai
An elderly mother and her daughter were found dead in Kaohsiung after having not been seen for several days, discovered only when a foul odor began to spread and drew neighbors’ attention. There have been many similar cases, but it is particularly troubling that some of the victims were excluded from the social welfare safety net because they did not meet eligibility criteria. According to media reports, the middle-aged daughter had sought help from the local borough warden. Although the warden did step in, many services were unavailable without out-of-pocket payments due to issues with eligibility, leaving the warden’s hands
At the end of last year, a diplomatic development with consequences reaching well beyond the regional level emerged. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state, paving the way for political, economic and strategic cooperation with the African nation. The diplomatic breakthrough yields, above all, substantial and tangible benefits for the two countries, enhancing Somaliland’s international posture, with a state prepared to champion its bid for broader legitimacy. With Israel’s support, Somaliland might also benefit from the expertise of Israeli companies in fields such as mineral exploration and water management, as underscored by Israeli Minister of
RSS