Japan’s parliament reelects struggling leader Ishiba as prime minister

Japan’s parliament reelected Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday after his governing coalition suffered the worst election loss in more than a decade, forcing the struggling leader to form his second Cabinet in just over a month since taking office.

Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito together lost their majority in the 465-seat Lower House, the more powerful of Japan’s two-house parliament, in the Oct. 27 election due to continued voter outrage over financial misconduct by his party and its lukewarm response.

A special parliamentary session convened Monday to pick a new leader in a vote required within 30 days of a general election. Ishiba beat top opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda 221-160 in the first runoff in 30 years.

Ishiba reappointed most of his previous Cabinet members, including Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, but had to replace three who lost seats or were affected by the election results.

Ishiba is expected to hold a news conference to explain his new Cabinet and policies.

Ishiba has refused to step down and showed willingness to cooperate with additional coalition partners to boost stability and help him pursue his party’s policies.

Ishiba will struggle in the coming months as he must gain consent from the opposition on policies including the budget and other legislation, experts say.

He is eyeing a rising smaller, conservative opposition, the Democratic Party for the People, whose seats quadrupled to 28 under its popular leader Yuichiro Tamaki, whose proposal for raising the basic tax-free income allowance and increasing take-home wages garnered support from low income and younger voters.

Tamaki only wants to cooperate with Ishiba’s party on policy — not as part of a coalition — since he wants to use his leverage to increase his party’s standing ahead of the next election.

However, Tamaki was recently stung by a magazine article exposing an extramarital affair, which he admitted to on Monday.

Ishiba’s government is preparing for his trip later this month to Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and Group of 20 summits, as well as a possible meeting with President-elect Donald Trump on his way home.

Source: AP
--Agencies