Japan has a new PM (elect)

[Harpy Eagle]

Shigeru Ishiba to be Japan's next PM after winning LDP leadership election

Ex-defense chief vows to 'protect Japan' and win back public trust lost by scandal

asia.nikkei.com

Shigeru Ishiba, a frank-speaking veteran politician and former defense minister, on Friday was elected leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on his fifth try, besting eight other candidates and ensuring he will become the country's next prime minister.

Seems the Japanese markets were not excited by this...

Japan stock futures fall 5% as Ishiba to succeed PM Kishida

Japan's next premier supports raising rates, open to higher capital gains tax

asia.nikkei.com

I cannot say I know enough about Japanese politics to say if this is a good choice or not.

 

[ThirdTerm]

This is the good news for China. Shigeru Ishiba is an outsider who is weak on national defense. He is a bad choice for the Japanese economy and stock markets reacted negatively. Ishiba is known for "hawkish austerity policies" such as early interest rate hikes, corporate tax hikes, and strengthened financial income taxation. The markets panicked with a strong yen and falling stock prices.

A researcher at a Chinese government-affiliated think tank told Hong Kong media, ''Although Ishiba is a conservative politician, he is relatively moderate and balanced. He also understands sensitive issues between China and Japan, such as historical awareness. My impression is that it's not bad."

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Shigeru Ishiba is an outsider who is weak on national defense.

Are you kidding? is this one of those spoof post?

Shigeru Ishiba is veteran politician and former defense minister. His whole campaign as focused on national defense and he is pushing an Asian version of NATO.

 

[ThirdTerm]

Ishiba is just delusional. Neither Trump nor Harris would approve his dangerous ideas on national security. NATO is obsolete and there won't be an Asian NATO to contain China, which is considered too premature to discuss in Washington. Ishiba will weaken the Japan-U.S. alliance if he pushes his proposals.

The United States will likely say 'no' to the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement. If Ishiba takes the lead in revising the agreement, it will cause major friction with the United States that has always been reluctant to review the Status of Forces Agreement. This is because they are keen to maintain the status and rights given to the U.S. military deployed to defend Japan.



In an article titled "The Future of Japan's Foreign Policy" posted on the website of the Hudson Institute, a conservative American think tank, Ishiba argued that "Asia does not have a collective self-defense system like NATO, so there is no obligation for mutual defense and it is in a state where war is likely to break out," and that "an Asian version of NATO needs to be created in order for Western allies to restrain China." He continued, Japan has quasi-alliance relationships with Canada, Australia, the Philippines, India, France and the UK," and "Japan and the US are also deepening their security cooperation with South Korea." He continued, "If these alliances are upgraded, it will be possible to develop them into an Asian version of NATO in the future."

Ishiba said, "The goal is to strengthen the Japan-US alliance to an 'equal nation' on par with the US-UK alliance and contribute to regional security," and "the conditions are in place to revise the Japan-US Security Treaty into a treaty between 'normal nations.'" He also suggested that if the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, which is an agreement related to the status of US forces in Japan, is revised, the Self-Defense Forces could be stationed in Guam, one of the US military's important bases in East Asia, and deterrence could be strengthened. He also argued that "Japan needs independence in terms of security until it has its own military strategy and can share strategies and tactics with the US on an equal footing."

Shigeru Ishiba on Japan’s New Security Era: The Future of Japan’s Foreign Policy

Shigeru Ishiba exclusively shared his views on the future of Japan’s foreign policy in response to a request from Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair before Mr. Ishiba was elected the president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan on September 27. The following is an unofficial translation of Mr...

www.hudson.org