General Nakatani could return to head the Japanese Ministry of Defense in the government of new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. This was reported by the NHK television channel.
According to him, the corresponding decision has already been practically approved by Ishiba and his team. Nakatani led the Defense Department from 2014 to 2016 during Shinzo Abe’s administration. He is in favor of increasing Japan’s defense capabilities and advocates more active use of sanctions against China, TASS reports.
On September 27, Shigeru Ishiba was elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) by a majority vote. He will officially become prime minister on October 1. During the election campaign he advocated strengthening Japan’s defense capabilities, creating an Asian NATO and a collective security system in the region. He argued that Ukraine’s membership in the alliance could avoid conflict with Russia. Ishiba also promised to work to restore voter confidence in the LDP, which has been undermined by a series of scandals, including financial reporting violations in the collection of political donations.
