Tokyo. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his cabinet resigned. After this, the Parliament of Japan formally elected Shigeru Ishiba, head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as the new Prime Minister of the country. Ishiba was elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party to replace Kishida. Along with this, Ishiba is planning to hold parliamentary elections on October 27. Ishiba mentioned the election date when announcing the party’s top leadership position before forming his cabinet. Kishida is surrounded by corruption allegations.
Katsunobu Kato as finance minister and Yoshimasa Hayashi as chief cabinet secretary are likely to remain in their posts. According to the information, former defense chief Takeshi Iwaya, considered close to Ishiba, is going to take over the post of Foreign Minister. General Nakatani will return to the Defense Ministry. Nakatani was also the country’s Defense Minister in 2016. According to media reports, senior leader Yoji Muto can take charge of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Ishiba is supposed to be on diplomacy with Japan’s closest ally, the United States. He has also repeatedly hinted at various forums to establish a more balanced relationship with Washington. He has also proposed creating an Asian version of the collective security group NATO to deter China, an idea that may anger Beijing.
What changes will come in Japan’s economic policy?
Kato’s appointment in the Finance Ministry will be under watch. He has held key positions in the administration of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. During this period, expansionary fiscal and monetary policies were adopted.