Ishiba to bring cool, collected rule to Japan

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) elected Shigeru Ishiba to be its next president and, by extension, the nation’s next prime minister.

Ishiba placed second in the first round of the party presidential election held on Friday (September 27), but defeated rightwing firebrand Sanae Takaichi in the run-off to win the top position in his fifth attempt. He is almost certain to be selected as prime minister in a special session of the Japanese Diet on October 1.

A former defense minister, the thoughtful and serious Ishiba is an independent-minded political heavyweight who will likely hold his own on the international stage. His measured speech and friendly but somewhat imposing presence suggest he will bring a calm but unyielding approach to the premiership.

Ishiba, 67, was first elected to Japan’s House of Representatives in 1986 – nineteen years before Takaichi, who is 63. Compared with the third-placing Shinjiro Koizumi, the 43-year-old son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, Ishiba is seen as the adult in the room and is thus unlikely to say or do anything rash.

“In a time of declining US power, the question is how to create a collective security system in the region. We should think about organically combining many alliances that we have… As we are facing many security issues, we will make sure to protect Japan,” Ishiba told news media after his victory.

Like outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Ishiba favors stronger relations with fellow democracies.

As part of a delegation of Japanese legislators that traveled to Taipei in August to meet with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, Ishiba said that peace in the Taiwan Strait requires greater deterrence against Chinese aggression. He suggested that