Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has appointed former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba as its new leader, making him the country’s next prime minister.
Known as an expert in defence policy, Ishiba secured victory over Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, who had hoped to become Japan’s first female prime minister. In his first address, Ishiba emphasised the need for Japan to enhance its national security in response to recent incursions into Japanese airspace by Russian and Chinese military aircraft, and repeated missile launches by North Korea.
Ishiba also vowed to continue the economic policies of his predecessor, Fumio Kishida, which aim to lift Japan out of deflation and achieve wage growth amid challenges such as a declining birth rate. A strong advocate for women’s and youth empowerment, Ishiba has proposed creating an “Asian NATO” to strengthen defence ties in the region and suggested a more equal security alliance between Japan and the United States, with Japanese training bases in the U.S. to bolster their partnership.
A supporter of Taiwan’s democracy, Ishiba has also called for the establishment of a disaster management agency in Japan, one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
Main photo: facebook/ishibashigeru/