Tokyo (Web Desk): Japanese lawmakers on Monday voted to keep Shigeru Ishiba in office as Prime Minister, following a turbulent period marked by his coalition's loss of its parliamentary majority in the lower house elections last month.
Ishiba, who assumed office on October 1 and promptly called for a snap election, now faces the daunting task of leading a minority government—one that must rely on smaller opposition parties to pass key policies.
Though Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito emerged with the largest bloc of seats in the election, they lost the majority that had been firmly in their hands since 2012. As a result, Ishiba now finds himself dependent on opposition support, which has made his position more precarious than ever.
For the first time in three decades, the vote went to a runoff after no candidate achieved a majority in the first round. In the end, Ishiba secured 221 votes—well ahead of his closest rival, former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, but still falling short of the majority in the 465-seat lower house.
Looking ahead, Japan faces a critical upper house election next year.
As per the international media reports, Ishiba’s ability to maintain his coalition’s slim majority there is uncertain, especially if he cannot restore public trust, which has been shaken by a scandal involving undisclosed donations to lawmakers. This political turbulence has left Ishiba with little margin for error.
His immediate task is to formulate a supplementary budget for the current fiscal year, which ends in March.
With rising living costs and growing voter dissatisfaction, there is mounting pressure on Ishiba to prioritize welfare spending and introduce measures to ease financial hardship.
However, to pass this budget, Ishiba will need support from at least one opposition party.
The Democratic Party for the People (DPP), led by Yuichiro Tamaki, seems the most likely ally, although DPP members did not back Ishiba’s bid for re-election as prime minister.
Tamaki himself is facing his own challenges after revelations of an extra-marital affair, which have further complicated his political standing.
Now that Ishiba has weathered the immediate parliamentary storm, he must turn his attention to international matters. He is set to attend the G20 summit in Brazil on November 18 and 19, a crucial opportunity to assert Japan’s role on the world stage.
In addition, Ishiba is working to arrange a meeting with US President Donald Trump either before or after the summit, with a potential stopover in the United States.
However, Ishiba’s relationship with Trump poses its own set of challenges. Japanese officials are concerned that Trump, who is now returning to office, might revive his protectionist stance toward Japan, including demands for Tokyo to increase its financial contribution to the costs of US military presence in Japan.
While these issues were largely handled by Trump’s first term, largely due to the close relationship between Trump and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Ishiba now faces the delicate task of re-establishing those ties while navigating Trump’s often unpredictable diplomatic style.
As Ishiba seeks to navigate Japan’s political and diplomatic challenges, his leadership remains at a crossroads. His ability to gain public trust, pass critical policies, and manage international relations, especially with a volatile US administration, will determine the direction of his premiership in the months ahead.