Japan's Ishiba Re-elected Prime Minister After About 40 Days... Launch of Second Cabinet (Comprehensive)

Shigeru Ishiba, the president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was re-elected as Prime Minister on the 11th.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) is clapping hands with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi during the prime minister designation election held in the House of Representatives (lower house) on the 11th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the same day, Ishiba secured first place in the prime ministerial nomination elections held during the special Diet sessions of both the House of Representatives (lower house) and the House of Councillors (upper house), returning to the prime ministership just over 40 days after his initial appointment.

In the runoff vote, Ishiba won 221 out of 465 total votes, defeating Representative Noda, who received 160 votes. The runoff vote in the House of Representatives was held for the first time in 30 years since 1994.

In the first round of voting, Ishiba received 221 votes out of 465, while Representative Noda obtained 151 votes. As no candidate secured a majority, a runoff vote was conducted.

There were 80 invalid votes in the runoff. Ballots that named candidates other than Ishiba and Noda in the runoff were all considered invalid. The second opposition party, Nippon Ishin no Kai, and the third opposition party, the Democratic Party for the People, cast their votes for their respective party leaders, as in the first round. This is interpreted as tacit approval of Ishiba's continuation as Prime Minister.

Separately, in the prime ministerial nomination election held in the House of Councillors (upper house), Ishiba was re-elected with 142 votes out of 239.

Ishiba initially took office as the 102nd Prime Minister on the 1st of last month, but with his re-election on this day, he will launch the second Ishiba Cabinet as the 103rd Prime Minister.

The first Ishiba Cabinet resigned en masse during an extraordinary cabinet meeting on the morning of the same day. With Ishiba's re-election, the second Ishiba Cabinet is expected to be formed, retaining key ministers.

Among the ministers of the first cabinet, Ishiba plans to retain most key ministers, including Chief Cabinet Secretary, who is the government spokesperson, as well as the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense. However, two LDP ministers who lost their seats in the House of Representatives election on the 27th of last month and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, who assumed office as the leader of the coalition partner Komeito, will be replaced.

Keisuke Suzuki, former Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, is expected to be appointed as Minister of Justice in the second cabinet; Taku Eto, former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and Hiromasa Nakano, a Komeito member and former Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Ishiba is scheduled to hold a press conference that evening to explain policies regarding the supplementary budget and the handling of legislative deliberations.

However, due to the results of the recent general election, the House of Representatives has become a situation of a minority government with a majority opposition, making it impossible to pass budgets and bills without opposition cooperation. This has led to forecasts that future government administration will face difficulties.