TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In a party vote on Friday (Sept. 27), Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) appointed a new party president, 67-year-old Ishiba Shigeru (石破茂), who will take office as prime minister next week after a vote in the Diet on Oct. 1.
Ishiba, a former defense minister, won the party’s vote for president on his fifth attempt over the past decade. His elevation to prime minister comes after an August visit to Taiwan, where he met with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to discuss regional security and the need to strengthen bilateral ties.
During his visit to Taipei, Ishiba was eager to hear Lai’s perspective on cross-strait matters. CNA reported that his conversation with Lai, which was scheduled for 45 minutes, lasted nearly 90 because the two were so keen to hear each other's views on regional issues.
At the time, Ishiba agreed with Lai’s call for partner nations to increase deterrence measures to preserve peace and security in the Indo-Pacific, per RTI.
After Ishiba's victory on Friday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated the next prime minister in a press release, and expressed hope that under the LDP's new leader, Japan and Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation and maintain substantive exchanges to ensure peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
In the summer of 2022, Ishiba met with former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other top officials to discuss security matters and how to deepen cooperation between Taipei and Tokyo. Ishiba also praised Taiwan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that Taiwan and other nations can learn from Taiwan’s example in epidemic prevention strategies.
Ishiba has a keen interest in military matters, serving as Japan’s Minister of Defense from September 2007 to August 2008 under Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo (福田康夫). He is associated with the nationalist lobbying group Nippon Kaigi, which calls for revising Japan’s post-war constitution to allow for a stronger military to counterbalance regional security threats.
Despite this association, reports suggest that he is more moderate in his views on China than his predecessors Kishida Fumio (岸田文雄) and Abe Shinzo (安倍晋三). However, Ishiba has rejected assertions in Japanese media that he would be soft on China, instead asserting that he will take a pragmatic approach to international relations.
Ishiba is a proponent of Japan maintaining nuclear reactors in case the need ever arises for Japan to develop a nuclear arsenal. He remains in favor of maintaining and strengthening Japan’s defense relationship with the United States.
While Ishiba may be more congenial towards Beijing than Kishida, he has stated in the past that China must not be permitted to take Taiwan by force, per RTI. There is no indication that current trends in cooperation and exchange between Japan and Taiwan will change under his leadership.
Ishiba will take the reins of power as the LDP faces a great deal of public criticism due to several recent scandals and an economic downturn. Some analysts worry that Japan may be entering a period of political uncertainty, and that Ishiba’s time as Japan’s leader may be short.
