Shigeru Ishiba Elected as Japan’s New Prime Minister
Tokyo [Japan], September 27: Japan’s former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to become the country’s next prime minister after winning the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election on Friday. Ishiba, 67, in a runoff vote, defeated economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, who received 194 votes to Ishiba’s 215, narrowly missing the chance to become Japan’s first woman prime minister.
The vote followed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s announcement in August that he would not stand for re-election. The LDP, having a majority in parliament, picks the prime ministers. Ishiba, who also served as Japan’s agriculture minister, is expected to select new LDP executives on Monday and form his Cabinet after being elected prime minister at an extraordinary Diet session starting on October 1.
Other candidates in the election included former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Digital Minister Taro Kono, and former health minister Katsunobu Kato.
Ishiba will lead the world’s fourth-largest economy amid challenges like a weakening yen, inflation, growing national debt, and wage stagnation. The country also faces increasing tensions in the Asia-Pacific, North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, and China’s growing military threats. Ishiba supports Taiwanese democracy and has proposed creating an ‘Asian NATO’ to counter security threats from China and North Korea, although this idea has drawn skepticism from many observers in Washington.
Doubts Revealed
Shigeru Ishiba -: Shigeru Ishiba is a Japanese politician who has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Japan. He was previously the Defence Minister of Japan.
Prime Minister -: A Prime Minister is the leader of the government in some countries, like Japan. They make important decisions and help run the country.
Liberal Democratic Party -: The Liberal Democratic Party is a political party in Japan. It’s like a team of people who work together to run the country.
runoff vote -: A runoff vote is a second round of voting. It happens when no one wins enough votes in the first round, so the top candidates compete again.
Sanae Takaichi -: Sanae Takaichi is a Japanese politician who almost became Japan’s first woman prime minister. She is the economic security minister.
Cabinet -: A Cabinet is a group of top leaders chosen by the Prime Minister to help run the government. They are in charge of different areas like health, education, and defense.
extraordinary Diet session -: An extraordinary Diet session is a special meeting of Japan’s parliament, called the Diet, where important decisions are made.
yen -: The yen is the money used in Japan, like how we use rupees in India.
inflation -: Inflation is when the prices of things go up, so you need more money to buy the same things.
regional security threats -: Regional security threats are dangers from nearby countries that could harm Japan. In this case, the threats are from North Korea and China.
