Japanese lawmaker Akiko Oishi (C) from the anti-establishment party Reiwa Shinsengumi is asked to leave after holding up a placard in protest reading "Stop calling a snap election (dissolving parliament) to hide slush fund" after Shigeru Ishiba (not pictured) was selected as the new prime minister during an extraordinary session of the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on October 1, 2024. Shigeru Ishiba became Japanese prime minister on October 1, seeking to restore the ruling party's popularity and tackle a demographic crisis, a lacklustre economy and fears over China's military build-up. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)
New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba unveiled his Cabinet as he seeks to heal party divisions and secure a national mandate with an Oct 27 snap election.
The 67-year-old former defence minister, who last week won a close-fought contest to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was confirmed earlier in yesterday as prime minister by parliament.
The Ishiba administration’s approach to diplomacy with Japan’s closest ally, the United States, will be in focus, as he has repeatedly called for a more balanced relationship with Washington.He has also proposed creating an Asian version of the collective security group Nato which has already been dismissed by a senior US official as hasty.
Ishiba must quell simmering anger at home over rising living costs and a sluggish economy, and navigate a volatile security environment in East Asia.
The veteran lawmaker, seen as somewhat of a party outsider who failed at four previous leadership bids, has named a mix of rivals and allies and to a Cabinet of 20 ministers that includes only two women, fewer than half the previous administration.
Women are poorly represented in politics and business in Japan, and the world’s fourth largest economy has never had a woman prime minister.
Japan ranked 118 among 146 nations in the 2024 World Economic Forum’s gender equity rankings, up from 125th but still the lowest among Group of Seven nations.
The two women in Ishiba’s 20-strong Cabinet have been given relatively minor positions, with former actress Junko Mihara responsible for policies on children and Toshiko Abe in charge of education.
The Japanese government and businesses have regularly missed a range of self-imposed targets and plans to increase the number of women in leadership positions.
Ishiba’s predecessor Fumio Kishida last year appointed five women to his Cabinet, a joint record for Japan, including Yoko Kamikawa as foreign minister.
Kishida’s government also passed laws seeking to increase the number of women in corporate boardrooms.
Among the men are two leadership rivals in key positions, Katsunobu Kato as finance minister and Yoshimasa Hayashi to stay on as chief Cabinet secretary, a post that includes the role of top government spokesman, the government announced.
The appointment of Kato, a proponent of former premier Shinzo Abe’s “Abenomics” expansionary fiscal and monetary policies, appears to be a balancing act to alleviate concerns over the next Cabinet’s economic strategy.
The Nikkei stock index fell nearly 5% on Monday in reaction to a surging yen following Ishiba’s win over Sanae Takaichi, a monetary dove and fiscal expansionist, in Friday’s leadership contest.
The index recovered ground yesterday. — Agencies
