Japanese Ruling Party Picks Next PM

Japan’s ruling party has elected Shigeru Ishiba as its new leader, positioning the political veteran as the next prime minister of Japan.

Nine candidates contested for leadership of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for most of the post-war era, after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced last month that he would not stand for re-election.

Whoever is named the new chief of the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) will become prime minister since the LDP has a parliamentary majority.

The change of guard comes at a turbulent time for the party, which has been rocked by scandals and internal conflicts that disbanded its once-powerful factions.

Ishiba, 67, led in most opinion polls, with this being his fifth and, he said, final bid to lead the embattled LDP.

The winner was decided by an internal party vote, rather than a public one. The race started with nine candidates before heading into a runoff between Ishiba and Sanae Takaichi, who vied to become Japan’s first female leader.

Ishiba is in favour of allowing female emperors – a hugely controversial issue opposed by many LDP member and successive governments. His blunt candour and public criticism of Prime Minister Kishida – a rarity in Japanese politics – has rankled fellow party members while resonating with members of the public.

Takaichi, on the other hand, was one of two women vying for the LDP leadership, but was also among the more conservative of the candidates.

A close ally to late former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi’s positions on women’s issues are in line with the LDP’s policy of having women serve in their traditional roles of being good mothers and wives. She opposes legislation allowing women to retain their maiden name as well as allowing female emperors

Consistent among the frontrunners, however, is a pledge to overhaul the embattled LDP in the face of public fury and plummeting approval ratings.

“In the upcoming presidential election, it’s necessary to show the people that the Liberal Democratic Party will change,” Kishida said at a press conference last month, when announcing his decision not to run for another term.

The LDP leadership contest is not just a race for the top job, but also an attempt to regain public trust that the party has haemorrhaged over the past few months amid a stagnant economy, struggling households and a series of political scandals

BBC/Shakirat Sadiq