japan has changed 3 prime ministers in just four years know who is the new pm shigeru ishiba

Japan is witnessing three Prime Ministers in just four years. Shigeru Ishiba will now replace Fumyo Kishida, who took command after Shinzo Abe. Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba will now be the new Prime Minister of Japan. Next week he will take oath as Prime Minister. Shigeru Ishiba has won the contest among nine candidates. Shigeru Ishiba will be sworn in as the 102nd Prime Minister of Japan by the Diet on October 1. On this day, Fumio Kishida will officially step down from the post. Shigeru Ishiba, 67, defeated radical nationalist Sanae Takaichi in a run-off vote, news agency Reuters reported.

Fumio Kishida’s party surrounded by corruption allegations

Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been dogged by corruption allegations and his party is searching for a new leader in hopes of regaining public confidence before the next general election. Apart from LDP members of Parliament, only about 10 lakh dues paying party members could take part in the voting. This number is only one percent of the total eligible voters of the country. In view of the ongoing internal talks and possibilities of compromise among the party stalwarts, it was difficult to predict who would have the upper hand in this election.

There was competition from 9 candidates

Takaichi has been close to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and is counted among the staunch conservative leaders. He contested against Kishida in 2021. Koizumi is the son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. In previous polls the leader was often determined by leaders of the party’s powerful faction, but this time all but one of the six factions have announced mergers following corruption allegations. There is widespread concern among experts that whoever wins the election but does not get factional support is likely to return to the 2000s in Japan. During this period, there were changes in leadership several times and political instability was seen in the country. Japanese prime ministers who head short-term governments harm the ability to set long-term policy goals or develop trusting relationships with other leaders. Takaichi and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa were the only two women in the race. The number of women in the lower house of Japan’s parliament is only 10.3 percent. According to a report released in April by the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union, Japan ranked 163rd out of 190 countries in terms of women’s representation.