Former defence minister Ishiba to be Japan's PM
Kyiv • UNN
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba has won the election as leader of Japan's ruling party. He plans to strengthen the military alliance with the United States and discuss the creation of an “Asian NATO.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba will become the next prime minister of Japan after winning the ruling party's leadership election on Friday, according to official estimates, UNN reports with reference to AFP.
Details
Isiba on Friday outlined his ideas for changing the country's military alliance with Washington after winning the race to lead the conservative ruling party.
The experienced 67-year-old former defense minister defeated fierce nationalist Sanae Takaiti, who could have become the country's first female leader, in the final round.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has ruled the country almost uninterruptedly for decades and has a majority, meaning that Isiba will be elected prime minister by parliament on Tuesday, the newspaper notes.
At a press conference on Friday, Isiba vowed to restore confidence in the party after the funding scandal and carefully laid out his key reform promises.
"Japan wants to fulfill its active duty and start discussions on how to build peace in this region," he said when asked about his proposals for an Asian NATO.
This could be an expansion of several existing blocs, such as the so-called Quad, which brings together Japan, the United States, India, and Australia, he said.
According to him, the creation of a military training center for its troops in the United States, as Germany has done, could be an extremely effective way to strengthen the bilateral alliance and allow Japanese troops to train at the maximum level.
He said he wanted to call early elections to strengthen his mandate "as soon as possible," but refused to say when.
"I have been working on national security issues for a long time, and I will be committed to the defense of Japan's territory," he said.
After the results, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the country wants to improve ties with Japan. "The long-term, strong and sustainable development of China-Japan relations is in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples," he said.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry said the country hopes to "maintain the positive momentum in Japan-South Korea relations."
