Why Did Japan’s PM Shigeru Ishiba Step Down? Inside the High-Stakes Move to Retain Power

In a stunning development, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Cabinet resigned en masse on Monday morning, about three weeks into the country’s new government. The resignation fell during a special session of Japan’s parliament, the Diet, ahead of a crucial vote that will decide whether Ishiba returns to power in a minority government.

In the aftermath of taking office on 2 October, Ishiba urged a general election by whatever means possible a step the latter hoped would transform his leadership into a blank cheque for his party to gain a majority mandate. This showed he miscalculated as the losses of LDP at the October 27 polls had as much to do with insurgence over inflation and a recent scandal regarding government money. In this regard, despite the setback, the LDP, together with its coalition partner Komeito, remains the largest bloc in Japan’s lower house though not possessing an outright majority.

A parliamentary session later this afternoon is likely to vote for Ishiba as prime minister to triumph over Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party -the latter is also the main opposition candidate. This result is mainly due to a lack of cohesion in the ranks of opposition parties which would compromise much of its scope to be able to present a smooth, uniform front.

To reveal a fresh Cabinet by Monday night, Ishiba is set to introduce new appointees-Keisuke Suzuki as Justice Minister, Taku Eto as Agriculture Minister, and Hiromasa Nakano of Komeito as the Land Minister. Other positions in the Cabinet are to be filled by people from the original list of Ishiba, which will aid the minority government in coasting through this sensitive period with a sense of continuity.

It is, therefore, an all but assured recipe for political battles and deadlock as Ishiba presides over a minority administration. The coming months will determine whether Japan’s ruling coalition of the next two years can stay strong on governance ethics issues and bring down still double-digit inflation.

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