Shigeru Ishiba was elected prime minister of Japan by parliament after his predecessor’s administration was rocked by scandals

Tokyo – On Tuesday, Japan’s parliament formally elected Shigeru Ishiba, head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as the country’s new prime minister.

Ishiba was elected party chairman on Friday to replace Fumio Kishida, who stepped down earlier in the day along with his cabinet to pave the way.

Ishiba was expected to announce the composition of his new cabinet on Tuesday.

Kishida took office in 2021 but is leaving so his party can have a new leader after his government was plagued by scandals. Ishiba plans to call parliamentary elections on October 27.

“I think it’s important for the new administration to get acquainted with public opinion as quickly as possible,” Ishiba said on Monday, announcing his plan to call early elections. Opposition parties criticized Ishiba for allowing only a short time for his policies to be examined and discussed in parliament ahead of national elections.

Kishida left his office after a short farewell ceremony during which he was presented with a bouquet of red roses and applauded by his staff and former cabinet members.

“Facing a critical moment at home and abroad, I sincerely hope that the new cabinet will vigorously pursue key policies that will determine Japan’s future,” Kishida said in a statement, citing the need to strengthen security amid deepening global divisions. such as Russia’s war in Ukrainewhile also addressing declining birth rates and population, as well as economic and political reforms in the country.

Ishiba had previously announced his party’s leaders before appointing his cabinet.

Most of his cabinet ministers, like Ishiba, are expected to have no ties to factions led and controlled by top party heavyweights, and none of them will be from former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s influential group, which has been linked to damaging scandals .

Ishiba’s lack of a stable power base could also mean his government is fragile and “could collapse quickly,” even though Ishiba hopes to build party unity in preparation for upcoming elections, the liberal Asahi newspaper said.

The move is also seen as a step towards revenge for Ishiba, who was largely sidelined for much of Abe’s reign.

Ishiba proposed an Asian version of the NATO military alliance and further discussion among regional partners on the use of US nuclear deterrence. He also suggested a more equal Japan-U.S. security alliance, including joint management of U.S. bases in Japan and having Japan Self-Defense Forces bases in the United States.

Ishiba outlined his views last week in an article for the Hudson Institute. “The lack of a collective self-defense system like NATO in Asia means that wars are likely to break out because there is no obligation to defend each other. “In these circumstances, the creation of an Asian version of NATO is essential to deter China through its Western allies,” he wrote.

Ishiba proposes combining existing security and diplomatic groupings such as the Quad and other bilateral and multilateral structures including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the Philippines.

He also noted that an Asian version of NATO could also consider sharing control of U.S. nuclear weapons in the region as a deterrent against growing threats from China, North Korea and Russia.

Ishiba on Friday stressed that Japan must strengthen its security, noting recent violations of Japanese airspace by Russian and Chinese warplanesand repeated missile launches by North Korea.

He pledged to continue Kishida’s economic policies aimed at pulling Japan out of deflation and achieving real wage growth, while also addressing challenges such as Japan’s declining birth rate and population and Japan’s resilience to natural disasters.

The LDP has ruled Japan almost continuously since World War II. Party members may have seen Ishiba’s more centrist views as crucial in fending off challenges from the liberal opposition and winning voter support as the party reels from scandals that have reduced Kishida’s popularity.

Ishiba, first elected to parliament in 1986, has served as defense minister, agriculture minister and other key government positions, and was secretary general of the LDP under Abe.