PROFILE - Who is Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s next prime minister

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Friday saw a new leader elected who will succeed the outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Ishiba Shigeru, 67, a former defense minister defeated, in a runoff, Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi who had raised hopes the world's fourth largest economy may see its first woman chief executive.

Lawmakers will convene on Oct. 1 to elect Ishiba as Japan's 102nd prime minister, a post so far held by 64 men in the country which has witnessed its population shrink due to falling birth rate.

The LDP has a majority in the parliament along with its junior partner, the Komeito party.

In the intra-party elections, Ishiba secured 215 votes including 189 from lawmakers and 26 votes among the 47 provinces.

Takaichi secured support of 173 lawmakers, while 21 provinces threw their support behind the minister.

Ishiba, the 28th LDP president, defeated eight other candidates which included two women including Takaichi and Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko.

It was his fifth attempt to lead the party, which has ruled Japan for most of the time since the party’s founding in 1955.

Kishida had announced in August he will not seek re-election after leading the party and the country since late 2021.

- From youngest lawmaker to prime minister

Born in southern coastal Tottori province, Ishiba graduated from Keio University in law, and began his career as a banker.

The 12-time lawmaker was first elected to the parliament in 1986 at age 29, making him Japan’s youngest lawmaker at the time.

The LDP veteran, rival to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to whom he lost party contest in 2012, and sidelined by incumbent Kishida, Ishiba has mostly worked on security issues.

An avid reader, his father Jiro Ishiba was governor of Tottori province in the 1950s while his mother was a Japanese language teacher.

After his father died in 1981, Ishiba entered politics at the insistence of a friend of his late father.

His political career spanning 38 years has seen him also working for revival of rural communities. He was appointed as the defense chief in 2007, besides helming other Cabinet and party positions.

- Challenges ahead

Seen as a rebel during Abe and Kishida’s tenures, Ishiba will face a party stung by political funds scandal that saw prosecutors raiding offices of party members.

He has been opponent of increased use of nuclear energy besides being a vocal critique of not allowing married couples to use separate surnames.

Rintaro Nishimura, a political commentator on Japanese affairs at The Asia Group think tank, believes Ishiba will face “big challenge” to win the next general election, expected next year.

He will also have to “maintain balance over a party that basically split” between him and Takaichi, Rintaro said on X.

“In past elections, many who voted for the loser were excluded from Cabinet and senior party positions,” the expert said, adding: “Can Ishiba change this practice?”

However, what Rintaro pointed out was “change” within the LDP since former Prime Minister Abe's assassination in July 2022.

“One has to wonder how much has changed since Abe's death. Who would have thought a year or two ago that Ishiba would come around to win the presidency?... Moderates band together,” Rintaro said.

Abe helmed Japan for the longest time among the prime ministers.

Soon after winning the vote to succeed Kishida, Ishiba vowed the LDP could now be “reborn and regain the trust of the people.”

“I will believe in the people, speak the truth with courage and sincerity, and I will do my utmost to make this country a safe and secure place where everyone can live with a smile on their faces once again,” he said.

Besides, he promised “full exit” from Japan’s high inflation rates, vowing to achieve “growth in real wages.”

On managing big power rivalry in the wider Asia-Pacific region, Ishiba has called for forming "Asian NATO."

All eyes will be set on his policy statements, especially on relations with the US and China.