Shigeru Ishiba reelected as Japan’s prime minister, ‘faces domestic challenges in governance’: expert

Leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Shigeru Ishiba was reinstated for a second term as Japan's prime minister on Monday after securing the most votes in both houses of the parliament, according to the Xinhua News Agency.  

Ishiba resigned with his cabinet on Monday ahead of the parliament vote. Monday's vote headed to a runoff between Ishiba and Noda, marking the first runoff in nearly 30 years, according to Xinhua.

In the initial round of voting in the 465-member House of Representatives, none of the candidates reached the majority threshold of 233 votes required to be elected prime minister, according to Kyodo News on Monday. In the runoff voting, 67-year-old Ishiba received 221 votes, outperforming Noda's 160 to become the country's 103rd prime minister despite falling short of the 233 majority threshold, Xinhua said.

In response to media inquiries regarding the news that Ishiba was reelected as Prime Minister of Japan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a routine press conference on Monday that it's Japan's internal affair, and China doesn't have a comment on that. Lin said that the sustained, healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples. 

We hope that Japan will work with China in the same direction, act on the principles and consensus in the four political documents between China and Japan, comprehensively advance the strategic relationship of mutual benefit, and build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship fit for the new era, Lin said.

Ishiba took office as Japan's 102nd prime minister in early October and promptly called a snap election, aiming to solidify his position. But instead of a strengthened mandate, he faced a significant setback as voters, frustrated by rising inflation and a slush fund scandal, handed the ruling bloc its worst performance since 2009, Xinhua said.  

Following Japan's general election on October 27, the ruling coalition of the LDP and its partner Komeito fell short of the majority threshold, according to Xinhua.

The lack of a ruling majority will require Ishiba's administration to rely significantly on collaboration with opposition parties. "This governing position is very fragile," Xiang Haoyu, a research fellow in the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies, China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.

Ishiba faces urgent tasks domestically such as economic strains, and tough negotiations with opposition parties, according to the expert.

In this context, Ishiba's administration's proposals will be subject to constraints from various parties, "making it difficult to maintain a relatively stable and continuous policy." It will lead to a situation in which Japan's political landscape remains unstable for some time, as it lacks a stable political framework, resulting in "uncertainty in both domestic and foreign policies," Xiang said.

Japan's policy toward China is expected to maintain continuity, with no fundamental changes in its tone, primarily determined by the political landscape and foreign strategic policies of Japan. Japanese domestic conservative forces emphasize the need to contain and counterbalance China, however, despite that, as a neighboring country, Shigeru administration recognizes the importance of cooperation with China in economic and cultural fields, and still making efforts to maintain the overall stability of China-Japan relations, said Xiang.