'Clumsy' Japanese PM Ishiba's future in the balance
Opinion polls suggest that Ishiba's coalition could lose its majority in upper house elections on Sunday, a result that might push him to resign.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed Japan almost continuously since 1955, but whether anyone wants to replace Ishiba is another matter.
"I wonder who else wants the job," Masahisa Endo, politics professor at Waseda University, told AFP.
Ishiba, 68, a self-confessed defence "geek", is the son of a regional governor and is from Japan's small Christian minority.
He won the party leadership in September, on his fifth try, to become the LDP's 10th separate prime minister since 2000, all of them men.
Ishiba pledged to "create a new Japan" and revitalise depressed rural regions, and to address the "quiet emergency" of Japan's shrinking population.
He immediately called lower house elections for October but that backfired spectactularly, with the LDP suffering its worst result in 15 years.
That robbed the LDP and its coalition party Komeito of their majority, forcing them to bargain with opposition parties to pass legislation.
Ishiba's policies on bringing down inflation and spurring growth have "flip-flopped" as a result, said Stefan Angrick at Moody's Analytics.
"Ishiba's government has boxed itself in, promising only some belated and half-hearted financial support that will do little to improve the demand outlook," Angrick said.
The government's popularity ratings have plummeted, with voters angry about price rises, especially for rice that is twice as expensive as a year ago.
Ishiba, the father of two daughters, also missed a chance to appear more modern by appointing only two women to his cabinet, down from five under predecessor Fumio Kishida.
Ishiba's sometimes clumsy ways – ranging from the less-than-perfectly tidy arrangement of his tuxedo to his table manners – have also been rich fodder for social media memes.
He drew ridicule after being snapped apparently napping in parliament and for failing to stand up to greet other world leaders at a gathering in South America.
Worse was a video that emerged of Ishiba eating an onigiri rice ball – a popular snack – whole and munching on it without closing his mouth.
"He eats like a three-year-old," one user said on social media platform X.
"How could he have risen to the top with these manners?" asked another.
A major challenge has been dealing with US President Donald Trump, who has imposed tariffs on Japanese cars, steel and aluminium.
Further levies of 25 percent on other Japanese imports will come into force on August 1 if there is no trade agreement.
Ishiba secured an early invitation to the White House in February and has sent his tariffs envoy to Washington seven times, but there has been no deal yet.
Then-premier Shinzo Abe – dubbed a "Trump whisperer" – fared better during Trump's first term, managing to shield Japan from any tariffs.
Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, gifted Trump a gold-coloured golf club and was a frequent visitor to see the US president.
According to Trump, Abe even nominated him for the Nobel prize. "There will never be another like him," he said after Abe's death.
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