Japan's soon-to-be PM Ishiba calls for October snap elections 3 days after leadership victory

Japan gets to decide their next government.

By

Tan Min-Wei

September 30, 2024, 05:23 PM

On Sep. 30, 2024 Japan’s Prime Minister-in-waiting Shigeru Ishida called for a snap election to be held on Oct. 27, 2024.

Snap polls and scandals

The snap election will be held a month after Ishida was elected leader of Japan's governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sep. 27.

The BBC quoted Ishiba as saying that it was important for his new administration to be judged by the people as soon as possible.

Japan was not due to go to the polls until 2025.

Ishiba is due to become Japan's next prime minister, if only briefly, on Oct. 1 when his predecessor Fumio Kishida formally steps down.

Kishida, embroiled in scandal and controversy regarding his links to the Unification Church and a political funding scandal, announced in Aug. 2024 that he would step down.

Ishiba won the leadership election after two rounds of voting, closely beating out Sanae Takaichi, a conservative LDP heavyweight who would have been Japan's first female prime minister if she had won.

It was Ishiba’s fifth attempt at becoming LDP leader.

Consolidation by appointment

Ishiba, who served as defence minister between 2007 and 2008, has begun to consolidate his power by appointing influential former prime ministers and former rivals to important roles.

He has appointed Taro Aso, PM from 2008 to 2009, as his advisor and Yoshihide Suga, PM between 2020 and 2021, as vice president of the LDP.

He has also made Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former PM Junichiro Koizumi, to be the LDP’s Election Strategy Chief.

Koizumi was one of nine candidates who competed with Ishiba to win the LDP leadership role.

Reuters reports that Ishiba has also given roles to other rival candidates, with Katsunobu Kato being appointed finance minister, and Yoshimasa Hayashi asked to remain chief cabinet secretary.

Takaichi however, appears to not have been given a role in the new government.

Rumours swirl that Takaichi had actually declined a post, something an expert quoted by Reuters says could point to a weakness in Ishiba's support base, and might return to trouble him in the future.