Japan’s new prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, unveiled his cabinet on Tuesday as he seeks to heal party divisions and secure a national mandate with an early election scheduled for October 27.
The 67-year-old former defense minister, who last week won a tight race to lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was confirmed earlier in the day as prime minister by parliament. He is expected to hold his first news conference later in the day in Tokyo.
The Ishiba government’s approach to diplomacy with Japan’s closest ally, the United States, will be in focus as it has repeatedly called for a more balanced relationship with Washington.
He has also proposed creating an Asian version of the collective security group NATO to deter China, an idea that could draw Beijing’s ire and has already been dismissed by a senior US official as hasty.
Ishiba must calm simmering anger at home over rising costs of living and a sluggish economy, and navigate a volatile security environment in East Asia fueled by an increasingly assertive China and a nuclear-armed North Korea.
The veteran lawmaker, seen as an outsider to the party that has failed in four previous leadership attempts, appointed a mix of rivals and allies and to a 20-minister cabinet that includes just two women, less than half as many as the previous administration.
Among the men are two leadership rivals for key positions, Katsunobu Kato as finance minister and Yoshimasa Hayashi to remain chief cabinet secretary, a post that includes the role of the government’s top spokesman, the government announced.
The appointment of Kato, a supporter of former prime minister Shinzo Abe’s expansionist “Abenomics” fiscal and monetary policies, appears to be a balancing act to ease concerns about the next cabinet’s economic strategy.
A close ally of Ishiba, Takeshi Iwaya, a former defense chief, will take over as foreign minister, while Gen Nakatani will return to the defense ministry, a position he held in 2016. Yoji Muto, a former junior minister, will take over the ministry of economy, commerce and industry.
In his victory speech on Friday, he spoke about the need to bolster Japan’s security following recent territorial incursions by Chinese and Russian military vessels.
Restricted alliance
Five of the legislators who contested the leadership race with him were not included in his government nor given important positions in the party.
Among them is Takaichi, a hardline conservative he defeated 215 votes to 194 on Friday in the closest leadership election in nearly seven decades. Local media reported that she turned down a senior party position.
That could make it difficult for Ishiba, a perennial favorite in public opinion polls, to manage a turbulent ruling group roiled by scandals, including unrecorded donations at fundraising parties.
Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said he planned to attack the LDP for its scandals in the next election.
“We cannot establish proper governance through pseudo-regime change,” Noda said on public broadcaster NHK.
But despite its problems, the party that has governed Japan for most of post-war is likely to retain power in the next election, given Japan’s weak opposition.
A third of respondents to a weekend poll by the Mainichi newspaper said they supported the LDP, compared with 15% for the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
More than half of those surveyed, including those who supported opposition parties, said they were optimistic about Ishiba’s appointment.
This content was originally published in Japan’s new prime minister reveals cabinet formation on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
