Shigeru Ishiba, new leader of the Japanese LDP, intends to call elections for October 27

The new leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Shigeru Ishiba, who is certain to become the next prime minister, intends to call a general election for October 27, Kyodo News reported.

Earlier in the day, Ishiba, a former defense minister, decided to dissolve the House of Representatives in October to seek a public mandate after engaging in parliamentary debates with opposition parties.

Ishiba, for his part, has accelerated the selection of new ruling party executives and members of his future government, considering the possibility of naming former Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya as foreign minister, the sources said.

Some lawmakers say Ishiba aims to stabilize his party’s weak internal base by turning to heavyweights for key positions, such as former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Suga is believed to have supported Ishiba in the runoff against Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi.

But Takaichi has declined Ishiba’s offer to become head of the LDP general council, according to sources, underscoring the difficulties the new leader faces in achieving post-race party unity ahead of possible elections to the lower house in the not-too-distant future.

Iwaya was defense minister in the government of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who held hardline views. He supported Ishiba in Friday’s election to become LDP president and, by extension, the next prime minister.

Ishiba has also opted to reinstate General Nakatani as defense minister, according to sources. Nakatani was defense minister for about two years, until 2016. He had worked as head of the Defense Agency, the ministry’s predecessor, for more than a year from 2001.

The new leader had initially planned to give the post of state minister in charge of promoting reconstruction in disaster-hit areas to Nobuhide Minorikawa, who has been acting chairman of the LDP’s Diet affairs committee, but withdrew the offer.

Ishiba plans to appoint Lower House member Tadahiko Ito as Minister of Reconstruction, Yoji Muto as Minister of Industry, Yasuhiro Ozato as Minister of Agriculture and Minoru Kiuchi as Minister of Economic Security, according to the sources.

Junko Mihara, a former actress and member of the House of Councilors, would be elected minister responsible for children’s policy, Masaaki Taira, a legislator in the Lower House, minister of Digital Affairs, and Seiichiro Murakami, minister of Internal Affairs, the sources added.

Following his victory in the party leadership race, Ishiba will be named Japan’s prime minister on Tuesday during an extraordinary session of the Diet, in which the LDP and its coalition partner, the Komeito party, will control both houses of Parliament.

Among the other contenders in the LDP presidential election, Yoshimasa Hayashi is expected to remain chief Cabinet secretary, while former Health Minister Katsunobu Kato, known to be a close associate of Abe, is likely to be named finance minister.

Ishiba, who also previously held the position of LDP general secretary, his second position, is also finalizing a new line-up of party executives to be announced on Monday, with the intention of giving the post of Diet affairs chief to the minister of Agriculture, Tetsushi Sakamoto, the sources said.

Shigeru Ishiba, former Minister of Defense, wins the race to lead the LDP in Japan

Hiroshi Moriyama, head of the LDP’s general decision-making council, will be named party general secretary and former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera is expected to become policy chief.

Ishiba plans to give the post of LDP vice president to Suga, replacing Taro Aso, who reportedly supported Takaichi in the second round of the presidential election, according to sources. Aso also served as prime minister for about a year during 2009.

Aso would be named LDP supreme councilor, a position without effective decision-making authority, while Shinjiro Koizumi, a 43-year-old public favorite who was defeated in the LDP leadership race, would be named head of the election campaign. of the party.

In a television program broadcast on Sunday, Ishiba said the elections should be held “as soon as possible” as Japan will have a new prime minister and new ministers. But he also said he wants to provide substance for voters to make their judgment.

Asked about the possibility of elections in October, Ishiba told the public broadcaster NHK: “I do not deny several possibilities.” Elections must be held before the current term of members of the Lower House ends in October 2025. The prime minister can dissolve the lower house.

The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, is asking for enough time to ask the prime minister questions in parliament. He also wants the government to draw up a supplementary budget to aid reconstruction efforts in areas affected by the earthquake and heavy rains in Ishikawa Prefecture.