TOKYO: Japan’s Parliament re-elected 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 lost their majority in the 465-seat Lower House, the more powerful of Japan’s two-house Parliament, in the October 27 election due to the continued voter outrage over financial misconduct by his party and its lukewarm response.
A special parliamentary session convened on 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 run-off in 30 years.
Ishiba re-appointed most of his previous Cabinet members, including Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Defence 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 has refused to step down and showed willingness to cooperate with additional coalition partners to boost stability and pursue his party’s policies. However, the Japanese PM Ishiba also faces a challenge 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 groups and younger voters.