After the recent legislative elections, disastrous for his party, the Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, was re-elected on Monday, November 11, after a vote in Parliament. Ishiba was re-elected to his position by the elected representatives of the lower house of Parliament with 221 votes, compared to 160 for his rival, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP).
Lacking a majority, a second round of voting had to be organized to decide between the two candidates who emerged victorious in the first round, the first since 1994. Ishiba took office in early October, after being elected head of the ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and quickly called early elections, which he hoped would consolidate his mandate as head of government.
Instead, voters dissatisfied with recurring inflation for more than two years and frustrated in recent months by a scandal of “slush funds” who helped topple his predecessor, Fumio Kishida, inflicted the LDP with its worst result since 2009.
Discontent within the party
Consequently, the Archipelago could find itself in a political dead end with a Parliament without a clear majority. On the one hand, the conservative LDP and its ally, the center-right Komeito, have lost their absolute majority but remain the largest bloc in the powerful lower house of Parliament. On the other hand, opposition parties are deeply divided on many key issues and are unable to unseat Ishiba, but remain essential in passing laws.
The ruling bloc will now have to deal with other blocs to hope to have its program adopted, and has asked for help from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a small centrist group that has agreed to cooperate piecemeal, rather than join the coalition. In its negotiations with the LDP, the PDP has already demanded tax cuts and energy subsidies, which economists say would significantly reduce the government’s tax revenue.
In addition to these delicate negotiations, Ishiba is also facing discontent within his party, which lost dozens of seats (including ministerial seats) in the October 27 elections. In addition, Donald Trump’s victory in the United States could also complicate his task. Washington could very quickly impose new customs tariffs and demand that Tokyo increase its military spending, considered insufficient by Trump.
