Mr. Shigeru Ishiba continues to be Prime Minister of Japan

Shigeru Ishiba officially continued to hold the position of Prime Minister of Japan on the afternoon of November 11th, following two rounds of voting in the Lower House.

"The Lower House has appointed Shigeru Ishiba as prime minister," Japanese Lower House Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga announced on November 11.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba

According to Reuters, lawmakers had to vote in a second round after neither Ishiba nor Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda secured a majority in the first round. In the second round, Ishiba won 221 votes and Noda won 160 votes out of a total of 465 seats in the Japanese Lower House.

With this result, Shigeru Ishiba became Prime Minister of Japan. Last month, he proposed an early election in the lower house. The result showed his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito Party winning the most votes, but they lost the majority they had held since 2012. This means he will face a political deadlock or need to compromise to pass new bills.

The most pressing challenge facing Ishiba is drafting a supplemental budget for the fiscal year ending March 2025, under pressure from voters and opposition parties to increase spending on welfare and subsidies to offset rising prices, according to Reuters.

Furthermore, voter dissatisfaction with inflation and the slush fund scandal has eroded public confidence in the ruling coalition between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito Party. The coalition currently holds a fragile majority in the Japanese Upper House. Therefore, the coalition could be at risk if Ishiba fails to restore public trust before the 2025 Upper House election, according to Reuters.

Mr. Ishiba is expected to announce his new cabinet on the evening of November 11th. Prime Minister Ishiba is currently preparing for a series of international events, including the G20 summit in Brazil on November 18-19. According to AFP, Mr. Ishiba is also expected to meet with US President-elect Donald Trump later this month.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-shigeru-ishiba-tiep-tuc-lam-thu-tuong-nhat-ban-185241111185208467.htm