This person became Prime Minister of Japan after being elected as President of the LDP, succeeding Mr. Fumio Kishida, not after a parliamentary election. Mr. Kishida resigned as President of the LDP and Prime Minister of Japan because the party had many problems, and Mr. Kishida himself had lost his reputation among the people in the Land of the Rising Sun. Mr. Kishida resigned so that the LDP could have a new look, new leadership, and a new opportunity to continue to hold power.
Mr. Ishiba's successor, who could have been in power for a year before Japan's regular parliamentary elections, called the snap parliamentary election in what is essentially a "forward flight" to avoid a bigger defeat than if the general election had been held a year later.
Mr Ishiba’s thinking is that rescuing the LDP is more feasible now than it will be a year from now. The party is currently suffering from a decline in popularity and prestige in Japan, but it has had a fresh start in terms of leadership and policy stance with the transfer of party and government leadership from Mr Kishida to Mr Ishiba. The opposition, led by former Prime Minister Toshihiko Noda’s Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), remains weak and disunited.
Mr. Ishiba intended to rescue the LDP from power, but at the same time he sought to legitimize his position as Japanese Prime Minister through the votes of Japanese voters. This legitimization helped Mr. Ishiba consolidate his position as leader of the LDP.
In this early parliamentary election (October 27, 2024), more than 105 million Japanese voters elected 465 members of parliament from more than 1,300 candidates. There has never been a parliamentary election with as many female candidates as this year (314 people). The minimum majority to form a new government is 233 members of parliament. In the previous parliamentary election, the LDP won 276 seats, far exceeding the absolute majority threshold. However, this party is still in coalition with the Komeito Party, which has 32 seats. Since 1955, the LDP has been in power almost continuously in Japan, except for a few very short interruptions.
Mr. Ishiba now hopes to continue this period of continuous rule of the LDP. Aware of the current difficult situation of the LDP, Mr. Ishiba does not set the goal of protecting the election results achieved, but only aims to win 233 seats, otherwise he will be forced to form a coalition with the Komeito Party - a coalition that is fundamentally different from the coalition that he wants to form. The opposition around the CDPJ will certainly gain more seats, but it will certainly not be enough to oust the power of the LDP.
The LDP is weakened in this parliamentary election but will still be able to continue to govern because it is determined to continue its coalition with the Komeito Party. Voters in Japan are primarily concerned with issues such as whether the country's socio-economic situation will improve quickly and whether the country's security will be guaranteed in the face of challenges from many sides.
