Japan’s likely next leader says he will call an election for Oct. 27 once he takes office

Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Shigeru Ishiba, the head of Japan’s governing party, plans to call a parliamentary election to be held on Oct. 27 after he is elected as prime minister on Tuesday.

Ishiba was chosen as the Liberal Democratic Party’s leader on Friday and is assured to also succeed Fumio Kishida as prime minister because the party’s coalition controls parliament.

Ishiba mentioned the election date as he announced his top party leadership lineup Monday ahead of forming his Cabinet. The plan is not official since he is not prime minister yet, but Ishiba said he mentioned the date early for the logistical convenience of those who have to prepare on relatively short notice.

“I believe it is important to have the new administration get the public’s judgment as soon as possible,” Ishiba said.

He appointed former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who came in third in the party leadership race, to head the party’s election task force.

He is expected to name defense experts and his longtime confidantes Takeshi Iwaya as foreign minister and Gen Nakatani as defense chief once he takes office.

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

The LDP has had a nearly unbroken tenure governing Japan since World War II. The party members may have seen Ishiba’s more centrist views as crucial in pushing back challenges by the liberal-leaning opposition and winning voter support as the party reels from corruption scandals that drove down Kishida’s popularity.

Ishiba on Friday stressed Japan needs to reinforce its security, noting recent violations of Japanese airspace by Russian and Chinese warplanes and repeated missile launches by North Korea.

He pledged to continue Kishida’s economic policy aimed at pulling Japan out of deflation and achieving real salary increases, while tackling challenges such as Japan’s declining birthrate and population and resilience to natural disasters.

Ishiba, first elected to parliament in 1986, has served as defense minister, agriculture minister and in other key Cabinet posts, and was LDP secretary general under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.