Shigeru Ishiba

October 28, 2024 10:19 AM

Japan’s government in flux after election gives no party majority

The make-up of Japan's future government was in flux on Monday after voters punished Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's scandal-tainted ruling coalition, leaving no party with a clear mandate to lead the world's fourth-largest economy. The uncertainty sent the yen currency JPY to a three-month low as analysts prepared for days, or possibly weeks, of political wrangling to form a government and potentially a change of leader. That comes as the country faces economic headwinds, a tense security sit...

September 30, 2024 2:26 PM

What to expect as Japan prepares for Oct. 27 election

Japan's incoming prime minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday he plans to hold a general election on Oct. 27. Here is what to expect in the following weeks as Ishiba seeks to hold on to his party's lower house majority and solidify his position atop a scandal-plagued party. WHAT HAPPENS NOW? Ishiba's victory in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race last week virtually assures that he be officially voted in as Japan's next prime minister during a special parliamentary session on T...

September 27, 2024 1:03 PM

Veteran lawmaker Ishiba set to become Japan PM

Former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba was set on Friday to become Japan's next prime minister after winning a closely fought contest in his fifth and final attempt to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The 67-year-old prevailed over hardline nationalist Sanae Takaichi in a run-off vote in what was one of the most unpredictable leadership elections in decades with a record nine candidates in the field. The leader of the LDP, which has ruled Japan for almost all of the post-war era, is e...