New Japan PM Ishiba won’t last long as challenges, political turmoil await: analysts

The ruling LDP ‘using’ him to retain power in a snap election expected by the end of the year, observers say

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Japan’s incoming prime minister Shigeru Ishiba at the ruling party’s headquarters in Tokyo on September 27. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 6:00pm, 28 Sep 2024

Japan’s incoming prime minister Shigeru Ishiba faces stiff challenges and a hostile ruling party rife with infighting that could quickly remove him from office, plunging the country back into political chaos, analysts warn.

Ishiba, 67, who won the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership vote on Friday, will be elected premier by parliament on Tuesday.

Observers say the former defence minister has “no good policies” and the LDP was “using” him to retain power in a snap election expected by the end of the year.

“Ishiba is of good character, but he has no reputation as a statesman,” said Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor of politics and international relations at Waseda University.

“The party chose Ishiba because he was far better than the alternative, Sanae Takaichi,” he added. “If the LDP had elected Takaichi, then it would have fared very badly at the next election, it would have effectively been broken and there would be turmoil throughout Japanese politics.”

Shigemura said lawmakers were backing Ishiba only until the election to hold onto their seats and after that “they will no longer need him”, adding many of them would have lost if Takaichi had won.