Nov. 11 (UPI) — The Japanese parliament on Monday re-elected Liberal Democratic Party chief Shigeru Ishiba as prime minister in a rare runoff vote after his ruling LDP lost its majority in the lower legislative chamber.
After an initial vote failed, with no candidate getting a majority, Ishiba bested Yoshihiko Nodathe president of Japan’s Constitutional Democratic Party and the LDP’s main political opposition with 221 votes to Noda’s 160 and 84 invalid ballots that listed other candidates.
There has not been a runoff vote since 1994Ishiba stressed a need for Japan’s political parties to stay focused on policy. He said at a news conference the current political situation “may be good for democracy in a sense.”
“Building on our cooperation between the LDP and Komeito party,” Ishiba said he “will strive to obtain support from as many other parties as possible to protect the safety and security of the people in a careful and humble manner.”
On the job for less than a month, Ishiba, Japan’s former defense minister, officially took over the prime minister’s office at the end of September.
The LDP and its governing coalition partner, Komeito, failed to secure the needed 233 seats required to maintain its majority in the country’s lower house in a snap Oct. 27 general election that saw discontent over economic concerns that took center stage particularly over the rising cost of living.
On Monday in a special meeting, Ishiba kept 16 of 19 ministers from his first cabinet after all traditionally en masse as Ishiba, 67, organized his new government.
Keisuke Suzuki, Japan’s former vice foreign minister, replaced Hideki Makihara as justice minister. Ex-farm minister takes over the role from Yasuhiro Ozato. Both Makihara and Ozato are LDP members who lost their election in the lower house. Former economy ministry official Hiromasa Nagano replaced Tetsuo Saito as land minister, who vacated the Cabinet to become leader of the Komeito party.
On Saturday, Saito publicly urged Ishiba to “take a clear-cut approach that is acceptable to the public.”
Japan’s LDP has held power almost continuously since its 1955 formation. Its recent election defeat was in large part a reaction to lack of public trust due to a major corruption allegations of misappropriated political donations amounting to nearly $4 million in campaign financing slush funds that involved dozens of LDP party members.
Of the accused, 46 LDP candidates who were involved in the scandal ran for re-election. But the CDP, holding 149 seats in the Diet’s lower house, failed to find votes among the other opposing political parties in order to keep Ishiba from the premiership .
Meanwhile, members of the opposition party chair several more committees in the DIet’s lower house with a CDP leader the current chair of the critical Budget Committee.
The prime minister said he will “sincerely deal” with all parties “in the future.”
“I said that I would like to make all decisions in a manner that is visible to the people while sincerely and humbly accepting the opinions of the opposition parties in the future management of the Diet, and I asked for their cooperation,” Ishiba said Monday in Tokyo.
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