New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has pledged to stick to the vital Japan-US alliance while calling for it to be more equitable after he took office, vowing to tackle a slow economy and regain public trust before an upcoming election.Ishiba on Tuesday replaced Fumio Kishida, who stepped down to pave the way for a fresh leader after scandals dogged his government.
In a show of Japan’s respect to its most important ally, the US, Ishiba spoke by telephone with President Joe Biden early yesterday and told reporters that he had reassured Biden of his plan to further strengthen the Japan-US alliance that Biden and Kishida had significantly elevated.
His new Cabinet emphasises defence. A majority of its members, including Ishiba himself, are unaffiliated with factions led and controlled by Liberal Democratic Party heavyweights; none are from the late Shinzo Abe’s faction which has been linked to damaging misconduct.
Speaking to reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office for the first time following a palace ceremony, Ishiba called for stronger military ties with like-minded partners. He has been vocal about his wish to form a Nato-like alliance in the region.
He said one of his policy’s main goals is to protect Japan as “the security environment surrounding us is the toughest since the end of World War II”.
He renewed his proposal of a more equal Japan-US security alliance, including joint management of US bases in Japan and having Japanese bases in the United States, which would require changes to a bilateral forces agreement.
“The measure would contribute to further strengthen the Japan-US alliance,” Ishiba said.
“I’ve advocated the idea for more than 20 years and obviously it’s not going to happen suddenly just because I became prime minister.”
He said yesterday that he did not raise the issue on his call with Biden, but would find the chance to do so later.
Ishiba said he told Biden that he will strengthen Kishida’s defence and diplomacy while bolstering networks, including South Korea.
Japan’s national security strategy adopted by Kishida’s government in 2022 calls for accelerating a Japanese military build-up.
Ishiba earlier said he would call for a snap election on Oct 27 and named former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi to head the party’s election task force.
On Tuesday, he said he intended to dissolve the lower house on Oct 9 so his new administration could obtain “the people’s verdict” as soon as possible.
During Tuesday’s Parliament session, opposition leaders criticised Ishiba for announcing such a plan before even becoming prime minister and allowing only several days for his policies to be examined and discussed before a national election.
They delayed the vote required to approve his new post for about half an hour despite not having the power to affect it, signalling a rocky beginning for Ishiba. — AP
