Three New Appointments Including Minister of Justice in Second Cabinet
All Other Ministers Retained
Shigeru Ishiba, the leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), reshuffled his cabinet immediately after being re-elected as Prime Minister on the 11th.
On the same day, Ishiba secured first place in the prime ministerial election held in both the House of Representatives (lower house) and the House of Councillors (upper house) during the special Diet session, returning to the prime ministership just over 40 days after his initial appointment.
In his second cabinet, Ishiba appointed three new ministers: Keisuke Suzuki, former Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, as Minister of Justice; Taku Eto, former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and Hiromasa Nakano, a member of the Komeito party and former Parliamentary Secretary for Economy, Trade and Industry, as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
This change followed the replacement of two LDP ministers who lost their seats in the House of Representatives election on the 27th of last month, as well as the replacement of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, who had taken office as the leader of the coalition partner Komeito party.
Among the first cabinet ministers, 16, including the Chief Cabinet Secretary who serves as the government spokesperson, as well as the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, were all retained.
In the runoff vote, Ishiba won 221 out of 465 total votes, defeating Representative Noda, who received 160 votes. This runoff in the House of Representatives was the first in 30 years since 1994.
In the initial vote, Ishiba received 221 votes out of 465, while Representative Noda obtained 151 votes. Since no candidate achieved a majority, a runoff was held.
There were 80 invalid votes in the runoff. Ballots that named candidates other than Ishiba and Noda 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 own party leaders, as in the first round. This was interpreted as tacit approval of Ishiba's continuation as Prime Minister.
Separately, in the House of Councillors prime ministerial election, 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 at a provisional cabinet meeting on the morning of the same day. With Ishiba's re-election, the second Ishiba Cabinet, retaining key ministers, is expected to be inaugurated.
That night, Ishiba planned to hold a press conference 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 where the ruling party holds fewer seats than the opposition, making it impossible to pass budgets and laws without opposition cooperation. This has led to forecasts that future government administration will face difficulties.
Before the prime ministerial election, Ishiba met with leaders of major opposition parties such as the Constitutional Democratic Party, Nippon Ishin no Kai, and the Democratic Party for the People from the previous day to request cooperation. After meeting with opposition leaders on the day, he told reporters, "I intend to sincerely and humbly listen to the opinions of the opposition parties and make all decisions accordingly."
In addition to the uneasy cooperation with opposition parties, Ishiba faces the challenge of raising his approval ratings. If his approval rating falls below 30%, a level considered a 'resignation crisis,' there is analysis that he could become a 'figurehead prime minister.' Local media speculate that in such a case, ahead of the House of Councillors election and the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election scheduled for July next year, there could be moves within the LDP to 'push Ishiba out.'
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