Japan’s incoming Prime Minister Ishiba calls for accelerated voting

Newly elected Shigeru Ishiba emphasizes the need for immediate public acceptance of the new administration.

The future Prime Minister of Japan said that after winning the leadership of his ruling party, he would call early elections on October 27.

“It is important that the new administration is assessed by the public as soon as possible,” Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday at a press conference at the headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Tokyo.

Ishiba, who was recently elected party chairman, is expected to be confirmed as prime minister on Tuesday by lawmakers in the lower house of parliament controlled by the LDP coalition.

Next month’s elections will decide the composition of parliament. The LDP has ruled Japan almost continuously since World War II.

Although he has not yet taken office, Ishiba said he announced the election date earlier to provide logistical convenience for those who need to prepare for the elections in a relatively short period of time.

On Monday, Ishiba began selecting government and party officials to run alongside him in the elections.

Currently, the government includes two of the prime minister’s rivals in the leadership race. Katsunobu Kato will become finance minister and Yoshimasa Hayashi will remain chief cabinet secretary, a key position that includes serving as the government’s chief spokesman, two sources familiar with the appointments told Reuters news agency.

Ishiba’s close ally Takeshi Iwaya, a former defense chief, will take over as foreign minister, and Gen. Nakatani will return to the Defense Ministry post where he has worked since 2016, sources said, confirming earlier media reports.

Another source said Yoji Muto, a former junior minister, would take over the leadership of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

But his candidates did not include Sanae Takaichi, a hard-line conservative whom Ishiba defeated on Friday by 215 votes to 194 in the closest leadership election in nearly seven decades.

The arch-nationalist would be the first female prime minister in a country where men still dominate politics and business.

Her absence from the government could make it more difficult for Ishiba to manage a fractious ruling group racked by scandals that have weakened public support and led to the ouster of Fumio Kishida, who resigned as prime minister in August.