New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba took office on Tuesday, but he will get no honeymoon period as he looks to unite a divided Liberal Democratic Party ahead of an Oct. 27 general election amid internal strife over his picks for his Cabinet and the party lineup.
"The first thing we must do in order to win back people's trust is make political reforms. If politics costs money, we must explain this in a careful and thorough manner. It is, of course, necessary to disclose the money collected with complete transparency," Ishiba said at a late Tuesday evening news conference.
Calling the security environment around Japan the most severe it has been since World War II, he also vowed to strengthen Japan's deterrence and defense capabilities.
"Through diplomacy based on realistic national interests, we will expand the circle of friendly nations, with the Japan-U.S. alliance its core," Ishiba said.
On economic issues, he promised to carry on the growth strategy of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida work to raise the average minimum wage to ¥1,500 per hour and to enact economic measures as quickly as possible to combat rising prices.
A number of Ishiba’s Cabinet picks include those close to his predecessors, Yoshihide Suga and Kishida. An LDP faction that Kishida led previously was the first of several to be dissolved in the wake of the scandal.
These picks include former defense chief Takeshi Iwaya — Ishiba’s campaign chief and a onetime member of a faction led by former Vice LDP President Taro Aso — who took the Foreign Ministry portfolio, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, who stays on in the key post of top government spokesman.
Meanwhile, the finance chief portfolio went to Katsunobu Kato, one of Ishiba’s eight rivals in last week's LDP leadership race, while former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani was tapped for a new stint in his old post.
Incoming Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
| AFP-JIJI
Of the 19 ministers in Ishiba's Cabinet, two are female lawmakers — Toshiko Abe was named education minister, and Junko Mihara was appointed as state minister in charge of children’s policies.
But Ishiba bypassed members of a faction previously led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which was at the center of the scandal.
He has also removed former Prime Minister Taro Aso from the post of party vice president. Aso, whose faction managed to avoid much of the fallout from the scandal and remains intact in the LDP, was especially angry when his rival, Suga, was named the new vice president on Monday.
While Ishiba had offered party positions to his presidential election rivals, Sanae Takaichi and Takayuki Kobayashi, both of them turned him down, highlighting an apparent split in the party.
Takaichi was a close ally of Abe's and received the backing of Aso to run against Ishiba during last week's vote, while Kobayashi enjoys support from many younger lawmakers who were members of the former Abe faction.
Meanwhile, Ishiba received the backing of Kishida and many of his allies, who dislike Takaichi’s strong conservatism and hawkishness, as well as that of Suga and many of his supporters.
Incoming Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (right) at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday
| REUTERS
This has left the LDP divided between a pro-Ishiba camp on one side and an anti-Ishiba camp on the other.
The growing divisions emerge as Ishiba announced his plan Monday for an Oct. 27 snap election — earlier than what he’d hinted at during the LDP presidential election campaign.
When he announced his candidacy on Aug. 24, Ishiba said he would dissolve the Lower House only after budget committee sessions attended by all Cabinet ministers were held in order to demonstrate what his administration wanted to do.
Holding parliamentary budget committee sessions, however, requires a certain amount of days for deliberation, which led to speculation an election would be held in November or later this year.
But on Monday, a day ahead of his formal election as Japan's new leader, Ishiba surprised everyone and announced his plan to dissolve the Lower House — the sole prerogative of a sitting prime minister — for a general election on Oct. 27, effectively ruling out time forlengthy discussions in the budget committee sessions.
Local media reported that Ishiba changed his stance after Hiroshi Moriyama, who he named LDP secretary-general on Monday, pushed him into holding the election earlier than his original plan — a development that highlights his weak standing within a divided LDP.
Ishiba's Cabinet includes 13 first-time ministers, with many unaccustomed to answering probing and often critical questions from opposition lawmakers. By avoiding the budget committee deliberations, Ishiba will be steering his fledgling administration away from potential gaffes that could further place them on the back foot.
Ishiba unveiled his Cabinet shortly after parliament elected him as prime minister. He appointed 19 ministers — 13 are first-timers while four are former defense ministers.
| Jiji
Still, Ishiba has also tapped a handful of lawmakers with prior government experience, leaning heavily on former defense ministers and naming four of them to key positions.
He chose Iwaya, who was defense chief for nearly a year in 2018-19, as Japan’s new top diplomat. The appointment of Iwaya — a longtime friend of Kishida's — could highlight the sway that the new prime minister’s predecessor maintains in the new government.
But Iwaya will also bring baggage into the new Cabinet due to his links to the slush funds scandal. In December, it was revealed that his political fund management organization failed to report ¥5 million ($34,780) in donations from a faction over the past two years, though he denied any kickback from party fundraising tickets, citing an administrative error.
Meanwhile, Nakatani will reprise his role as defense minister as China’s military assertiveness grows and an ally — the U.S. — gears up for one of its most consequential and divisive presidential elections ever.
A former Ground Self-Defense Force officer, Nakatani is known to be a leading expert on security policy within the LDP, having shepherded negotiations with the U.S. over new bilateral guidelines for defense cooperation in 2015. He will be tasked with following through on Ishiba’s ambitious defense goals that could include seeking revisions of Japan’s security treaty and Status of Forces Agreement with the U.S. to put the allies on more “equal terms.”
Analysts say these plans, the details of which remain largely unclear, have already raised eyebrows in Washington.
Ishiba and his new Cabinet will also have to deal with domestic economic concerns, especially rising prices and the still-unresolved question of how the government plans to cover the cost of a ¥43 trillion defense buildup by 2027 at a time when the yen is weak.
Staff writers Kathleen Benoza and Jesse Johnson contributed to this report.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga walks back to his seat after casting his ballot for the nomination of Japan's prime minister in parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday.
| BLOOMBERG
A glance at the LDP leadership and Cabinet
The top LDP leadership includes former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, 75, as the new vice president. Suga served as prime minister in 2020-2021, after Abe stepped down. While he backed former environment minister and fellow Kanagawa lawmaker Shijiro Koizumi in the initial round of presidential voting, he threw his support behind Ishiba in the deciding round.
Hiroshi Moriyama, 79, a veteran politician who once led a faction, is known for his diplomatic ability and good relations among senior party leaders. As the de facto head of the party, Moriyama is expected to play a large behind-the-scenes role in helping to pull together the now-fractured LDP.
Shunichi Suzuki, 71, takes up the position of General Council chair. A former finance minister, he is a member of ex-Prime Minister Taro Aso’s faction and Aso’s brother-in-law.
Itsunori Onodera, 64, has been appointed chair of the party’s policy research council. A former defense chief, Onodera is close to Kishida, having been a member of his former faction.
Koizumi, 43, will become the election committee chair, where he will be expected to coordinate the party’s campaign strategies for the Oct. 27 election. Koizumi, a nonaffiliated LDP member backed by Suga in the presidential election, finished third.
Tetsushi Sakamoto, 73, is the new parliamentary affairs chief, and will be responsible for coordinating LDP-backed legislation after the general election.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during an interview at his office in Tokyo on Sept. 5.
| BLOOMBERG
The 19 Cabinet ministers under Ishiba include:
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 63: Hayashi, Kishida’s right-hand man, will keep his post as the government’s top spokesperson.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato, 68: Suga’s former chief Cabinet secretary and one of nine candidates who ran in the Sept. 27 presidential election.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, 67: A former defense minister, Iwaya was Ishiba’s campaign chief and is a former Aso faction member.
Economy and Trade Minister Yoji Muto, 68: a first-time Cabinet minister, he is a member of Aso’s faction and a former vice economy and trade minister.
Health Minister Takamaro Fukuoka, 51: Another first-time Cabinet member, Fukuoka is an ex-member of the now dissolved faction led by former Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi.
Land and Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito, 72: A current minister and ruling coalition partner Komeito member, Saito continues in his post as per an agreement with the LDP.
Education Minister Toshiko Abe, 65: A first-time Cabinet member, Abe who is not affiliated with any faction, has a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Justice Minister Hideki Makihara, 53: An unaffiliated LDP member and former health vice minister, Makihara is a lawyer licensed to practice in New York state.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, 66: An unaffiliated member, Nakatani is a previous defense minister.
Environment Minister Keiichiro Asao, 60: A first-time Cabinet member, Asao is an Aso faction member and has an MBA from Stanford University.
Agriculture Minister Yasuhiro Ozato, 66: First-time Cabinet member, not affiliated with any faction. He is a former vice environment minister.
Internal Affairs Minister, Seiichiro Murakami, 72: Unaffiliated member who has served in a number of posts, including administrative reform minister.
Incoming child policy minister Junko Mihara arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
| REUTERS
Reconstruction Minister Tadahiko Ito, 60: Ex-member of the LDP faction led by former Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai and a former environment vice minister.
Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, 63: Unaffiliated, first-time Cabinet member who, like Ishiba, represents a district in Tottori Prefecture.
Economic Security Minister Minoru Kiuchi, 59: Ex-member of the Moriyama faction and a first-time Cabinet member.
Regional Revitalization Minister Yoshitaka Ito, 75: Ex-member of the Nikai faction who represents a Lower House district in Hokkaido.
Child Policy Minister Junko Mihara, 60: Unaffiliated member, former health vice minister who represents a Kanagawa Upper House district.
National Public Safety Commission head Manabu Sakai, 59: Unaffiliated LDP member, former deputy chief Cabinet secretary who, like Suga, represents a Kanagawa Lower House district.
Digital Minister Masaaki Taira, 57: Unaffiliated LDP member who has served as Cabinet Office vice minister and on various party committees.
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