{"id":37801,"date":"2024-10-14T16:00:25","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T14:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/?p=37801"},"modified":"2024-10-21T19:07:33","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T17:07:33","slug":"will-japan-feel-the-wind-of-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/will-japan-feel-the-wind-of-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Japan Feel the Wind of Change?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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What is happening?<\/h2>

On September 27, Japan\u2019s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) elected<\/a> its former Secretary-General, Shigeru Ishiba<\/strong>, as the new president. Since the LDP is the main ruling party in the Liberal Democratic\u2013Komeito coalition, which holds a comfortable majority, Ishiba was also elected as the new Prime Minister<\/strong> just a few days later on October 1. His predecessor, Fumio Kishida<\/strong>, decided not to run for a second term in light of several scandals in the LDP and mounting domestic political challenges. The abysmally low approval ratings for the Kishida Cabinet jeopardized the LDP\u2019s long-standing dominance<\/a> in Japanese politics. During the leadership race, Ishiba pledged<\/a> to restore public trust in politics. To this end, one of his first decisions was to dissolve the Lower House<\/strong> of the National Diet on October 9 and call a snap election<\/strong> for October 27, a year ahead of schedule.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/h2>

What is the broader picture?<\/h2>

The Japanese general election was initially scheduled for October 2025. However, the Japanese Prime Minister can dissolve the Lower House at any time within the given timeframe. Ishiba\u2019s decision marks<\/a> the shortest period between a prime minister taking office and the dissolution of the Lower House in Japan’s postwar history.<\/strong> He justified<\/a> this move by stating that to “create a new Japan”<\/strong> and to “boldly carry out this major change,”<\/strong> he needed “the confidence of the people.”<\/strong><\/p>

As noble as it sounds, the snap election is also a strategic decision<\/strong>. On one side, the LDP is attempting to repair the reputational damage it has suffered in recent years and restore the trust of the Japanese people in politics. This is why many candidates in the LDP leadership race, including Ishiba, emphasized the need for reforms and change<\/strong>. On the other side, however, the snap election is about seeking public approval and using the momentum of Ishiba\u2019s “honeymoon popularity”<\/a> and fragmented opposition, which gives the current Liberal Democratic\u2013Komeito coalition a very high chance of being re-elected <\/strong>and strengthening its position through a newly reconfirmed democratic mandate.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/h2>

Why does it matter?<\/h2>

The outcome of the upcoming early general election, with the campaign set to start on October 15<\/strong>, will be crucial in determining Japan\u2019s role in the Indo-Pacific<\/strong> in the coming years. Shigeru Ishiba is now highly likely to retain his newly acquired premiership. As a former Defense Minister who describes himself as a defense\u00a0otaku<\/em>, he is expected to focus on defense and security-related issues<\/strong>, including increased defense spending. He stated<\/a>: “As exemplified by China and Russia’s airspace incursions and North Korea’s repeated missile launches, Japan is facing the most severe, complex security environment since the end of World War II.” This is also why he advocates for creating a regional military alliance similar to NATO<\/strong>.<\/p>

Apart from regional security challenges, Ishiba also aims to address domestic issues<\/a>, including reforms within the LDP and broader political reforms<\/strong>, economic measures<\/strong> to ensure that “Japan’s economy emerges from deflation,” and initiatives to tackle the demographic crisis <\/strong>of rapidly shrinking population, which Ishiba describes as a “quiet emergency.”<\/p>

Japan could undoubtedly feel a wind of change, but only time will tell whether Ishiba or someone else will deliver it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is happening? On September 27, Japan\u2019s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) elected its former Secretary-General, Shigeru Ishiba, as the new president. Since the LDP is the main ruling party in the Liberal Democratic\u2013Komeito coalition, which holds a comfortable majority, Ishiba was also elected as the new Prime Minister just a few days later on October […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":37802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[500],"tags":[506],"class_list":["post-37801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-david-toman"],"yoast_head":"\nWill Japan Feel the Wind of Change? - European Values Center for Security Policy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/will-japan-feel-the-wind-of-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Will Japan Feel the Wind of Change? - European Values Center for Security Policy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is happening? 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