Voting for the prime minister took place for the first time in the last 30 years.
Shigeru Ishiba will continue to be the Prime Minister of Japan. It was decided on Monday in the second round of elections by members of the lower house of parliament with 211 votes. TASR reports according to the Reuters and AFP agencies.
His challenger from the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), Yoshihika Nodu, won 160 votes in the 465-member lower house of parliament. Eighty-four deputies voted for other politicians.
Ishiba called early elections to strengthen his mandate
For the first time in 30 years, the vote for the prime minister resulted in a second round, as none of the candidates received majority support in the first round. Sixty-seven-year-old Ishiba took office at the beginning of October. He called early elections to strengthen his mandate as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Instead, voters disaffected by inflation and a funds scandal that helped oust his predecessor, Fumio Kishida, drifted away from the LDP, sending the party to its worst election result since 2009. That could cause a political stalemate in parliament.
Although the conservative LDP and its smaller coalition partner the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) lost their majority in early elections, they remain the largest bloc in the lower house of parliament.
In foreign policy, Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections could complicate the situation for Ishiba. Among the risks are potential new U.S. trade tariffs and demands for increased defense spending by Japan, which has relied on U.S. military technology for decades.
In talks with the LDP, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) requested a reduction in taxes and energy subsidies, which, according to economists, would significantly reduce the government’s tax revenues. In addition to these delicate negotiations, Ishiba also has to contend with discontent in his party, which lost dozens of seats – including ministers – in the October 27 election.
Analysts said potential new U.S. tariffs on Chinese and Japanese goods could boost inflation, while the Trump administration may demand Japan increase its defense spending or push Japanese firms to expand their U.S. factories.
