Shigeru Ishiba: new Japanese Prime Minister calls early elections in October

The vote will decide which party will control the lower house of Parliament.

“It is important that the new administration be judged by the people as soon as possible,” Ishiba said at a news conference in Tokyo on Monday, according to Reuters.

Earlier in the day, he began choosing government and party officials to participate with him in the upcoming general elections, including two influential former prime ministers: Taro Aso, as an adviser, and Yoshihide Suga, as vice-president.

Ishiba also tapped Shinjiro Koizumi, a popular rival in Friday’s leadership race who enjoys a favorable standing with the Japanese public, to become head of election strategy.

However, Sanae Takaichi, the radical conservative whom Ishiba narrowly beat in Friday’s runoff election, was not included in Ishiba’s choices.

After winning Friday’s leadership election, Ishiba said he would revitalize Japan’s economy, tackle security threats and clean up the LDP, whose popularity has plummeted in recent months amid public scandals and internal conflicts.

Chief among these scandals are revelations about the extent of influence the Japanese Unification Church wields within the LDP, as well as suspicions that party factions underreported political funding over the course of several years.

This latest controversy fueled massive public outrage and damaged Prime Minister Kishida’s political position, leading him to announce in August that he would not seek re-election as leader of the LDP.

“In the next presidential election (for the LDP), it is necessary to show the people that the party will change,” Kishida said at a press conference last month, announcing his decision not to run for office. other mandate.

“For this, transparent and open elections as well as free and vigorous debate are important. »

Shortly after taking office on Friday, Ishida echoed his predecessor’s comments.

“We must be a party that allows its members to discuss the truth freely and openly, a party that is fair and impartial on all issues and a party that is humble,” he told reporters.

Despite the scandals, the LDP, which ruled Japan for most of the postwar era, remains the country’s most popular political party.

The last two weeks of campaigning for the party leadership were also seen by experts as an audition for the general election – meaning that the candidates presented themselves not only to other party members but also to the public, with the aim of to win over the electorate.