[News Figures] Japan's Next Prime Minister Candidate 'Ishiba Shigeru' Making His Fifth Attempt After Four Tries

5th Candidacy Declaration 'Final Challenge'
Japanese Defense Expert Blocked by Faction Barriers in Politics
Pro-Korea and Advocate of 'Collective Self-Defense'

On the 27th, a record nine candidates have entered the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election in Japan. The reason for the proliferation of candidates is the dissolution of factions within the party following the illegal political funding scandal that erupted at the end of last year. Five out of six factions have been disbanded. It is analyzed that the practice of endorsing candidates based on faction units has disappeared. In Japan's parliamentary system, the election of the LDP president, which currently holds a majority of seats, is essentially equivalent to the election of the Prime Minister of Japan.

Shigeru Ishiba (67), former LDP secretary-general, is currently forming a two-horse race with Shinjiro Koizumi (43), former Minister of the Environment and the second son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (82). In a joint opinion poll conducted by Nihon Keizai Shimbun and TV Tokyo on the 16th, Ishiba recorded 26% support, ranking first and leading Koizumi, who had 20%, by 6 percentage points. Although he has consistently enjoyed high public popularity and name recognition, this election is seen as a golden opportunity for him, who has weak factional support within the party.

Ishiba, former Secretary-General, declares candidacy for LDP presidency
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Former Secretary-General Ishiba is a 12-term member of the House of Representatives and this is his fifth time running for the party presidency. He has been continuously re-elected in his home district of Tottori Prefecture for over 40 years. Born on February 4, 1957, in Tokyo, he spent his childhood in Tottori Prefecture following his father Jiro Ishiba, who became governor of Tottori Prefecture in April 1958. After graduating from Keio University’s Faculty of Law, he joined Mitsui Bank (now Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) in 1979.

After his father passed away in 1981, Ishiba retired from the bank in 1983 and joined the "Thursday Club (Tanaka faction)" led by former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, a friend of his father. In July 1986, he ran for the House of Representatives in the 38th general election as an LDP candidate in Tottori Prefecture and was elected at the age of 29, becoming the youngest member at the time. He has since been successfully re-elected 12 times in a row. In 1993, as a ruling party member, he supported a no-confidence motion against the Miyazawa Cabinet and left the party, only to rejoin in 1997. Although he is known for his strong convictions, this incident earned him the labels of "traitor" or "returnee." This is why he has been excluded from the mainstream factions of the LDP until now.

In 2002, he was appointed for the first time as Director-General of the Defense Agency (equivalent to vice-minister level in Korea) in the Koizumi Cabinet. He later served as Minister of Defense, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Minister in charge of Special Missions in several cabinets. In the second Abe Cabinet in 2012, he served as LDP secretary-general, the second most important position after the party leader. In September 2015, he formed his own faction called "Suigetsukai (Water Moon Society)" with 20 members, but was criticized for inconsistency due to his previous calls for the abolition of factional politics. After Ishiba lost the presidential election and the exclusion of his faction within the party intensified, Suigetsukai was eventually dissolved in 2021.

Former Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba is a prominent military expert in Japanese politics, widely known by the nickname "military otaku" and for his love of railroads.
[Illustration by Seongsu Oh]

Ishiba’s political stance is considered "moderate right-wing" and he is regarded as pro-Korean. He shows a progressive attitude toward historical issues and relations with neighboring countries. He publicly referred to Japan’s Pacific War as an "aggressive war" and stated, "The comfort women issue violated the dignity of women and Japan must apologize," adding, "We have no choice but to continue apologizing until Korea is satisfied." He is also negative about visits to Yasukuni Shrine, where Class A war criminals of the Pacific War are enshrined. When the South Korean government decided to terminate GSOMIA (General Security of Military Information Agreement) in 2019, he criticized the Japanese government by writing, "Japan must recognize that it is different from Germany, which has acknowledged its war responsibility on its own."

Meanwhile, as one of Japan’s leading defense experts, Ishiba advocates revising the pacifist constitution and supports "collective self-defense." Collective self-defense is the logic of responding militarily if a closely related country is attacked. As a former defense minister, he is proactive about overseas deployment of the Self-Defense Forces and rearmament. He argues that Japan should contribute to the international community in terms of human rescue and other efforts commensurate with its capabilities. However, critics say there is essentially no difference between his stance and that of right-wing forces, including former Prime Minister Abe, who dreamed of a "war-capable nation."