Shigeru Ishiba took over as Japan’s new prime minister on October 1st, 2024, after the parliament formally elected him to the position. He replaces Fumio Kishida as the prime minister.
He was chosen to head the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on September 27th to replace Kishida, who then stepped down earlier.
Ishiba, who is 67, won the race to his party’s leadership on his fifth attempt. He entered parliament in 1986 and served as a defence minister.
He is a defence and security expert and has proposed an Asian version of the NATO military alliance. He is also set to continue Kishida’s economic policy to pull Japan out of deflation.
He is a centrist, and hopes to successfully push back challenges by the liberal-leaning opposition and win voter support as the LDP reels from corruption scandals.
Ishiba had previously said he wanted to hold elections to ensure that the new government will have the people’s mandate, and that he intends to hold on October 27th.
This will be the first general election in the country since October 2021, when Kishida called a snap election shortly after taking over as prime minister.
Published - October 02, 2024 02:38 pm IST
