Japan’s new Prime Minister Ishiba on shaky ground ahead of snap election

Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba faces challenges as he calls snap election, aiming to revitalize Japan amid falling popularity.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba likes crafting model ships but his short tenure could come unstuck if the gamble of calling snap election goes as badly on Sunday (October 27, 2024) as some polls suggest.

The self-confessed defence “geek” is a fan of trains, 1970s pop idols, and making military models, including once of a Soviet aircraft carrier for a visiting Russian Defence Minister.

Last month the 67-year-old saw off eight other candidates to become head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for seven decades.

He took office on October 1, replacing Fumio Kishida, who suffered from discontent over rising prices, a slush fund scandal, and LDP ties to a Christian movement in the wake of the 2022 assassination of ex-Premier Shinzo Abe.

Although relatively popular with the public — at least before becoming PM — Mr. Ishiba had four previous failed bids to lead the party including in 2012 against his arch-rival Abe.

Mr. Ishiba long alienated party heavyweights with his “outspoken criticism of LDP policies under Abe”, said Yu Uchiyama, a politics professor at the University of Tokyo. But he became “vocal about the need for the LDP to turn over a new leaf,” which may have worked in his favour, Mr. Uchiyama said.

Despite hiccups, including over a doctored photo of the Cabinet, Mr. Ishiba got off to a good start and called snap elections after barely a week in office.