Latest news with #anti-LDP
The Mainichi
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Free rice gaffe sends Ishiba into pre-election damage control mode
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dismissed his agriculture minister Wednesday after an off-the-cuff remark about gifted rice angered a public that is already questioning the Japanese leader's handling of soaring prices. Facing record-low public support following a series of slush fund scandals that engulfed the ruling party, Ishiba initially appeared concerned that ousting farm minister Taku Eto would trigger a cascade of negative repercussions for his administration and embolden the opposition. However, with a parliamentary election looming, Eto was eventually forced out as Ishiba looked to limit the damage, given he has already lost the party's majority in the lower house. Ruling party members have expressed concern that Eto's resignation has come at a particularly unfortunate time, and political analysts warn that a poor showing for the Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Councillors election may put Ishiba's premiership at risk. By selecting Shinjiro Koizumi, a young leadership hopeful in the LDP, as new agriculture minister, Ishiba is gambling with his future. Underperformance by the 44-year-old son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi will put pressure on Ishiba's already shaky standing. "I want Mr. Koizumi to exhibit strong leadership as we face a mountain of challenges, such as surging rice prices, and to give his all to the job," Ishiba told reporters after making the appointment. At first, Ishiba was reluctant to replace Eto, who faced a chorus of criticism when an attempt at a joke fell flat at a weekend fundraising event. "I'm not buying rice. Thanks to my supporters giving me plenty of it, I have so much of it in my house that I could sell it," Eto said, a comment widely slammed as tone-deaf when the public is straining under rampant rice price inflation. Ishiba, who himself has experience serving as agriculture minister, reportedly told his aides that the post is a "tricky" undertaking. Past departures of those holding the farm portfolio have often boded ill for the sitting prime minister. But Eto's future in the position became untenable when major opposition parties jointly went on the offensive, threatening a no-confidence motion against him. Such a motion, even if non-binding, would still send a strong message at a time when Ishiba desperately needs support from parts of the opposition bloc to pass bills and budgets and ensure the smooth functioning of his minority government. "The cards are being stacked against the prime minister," said Masahiro Iwasaki, a political science professor at Nihon University. "The rice issue could not have come at a worse time. It has further shaken the foundation of the government," he said, adding Ishiba's inability to properly resolve it is likely to deepen anti-LDP sentiment. Despite Ishiba's stated goal of restoring public confidence damaged by a spate of political funds scandals in the LDP, Eto's gaffe has renewed scrutiny of the leader. A senior ruling party member said of Eto's gaffe and subsequent resignation, "There is no doubt that this will become a debilitating blow" to the government. Opposition parties appear eager to seize the opportunity to tighten the screws on Ishiba, with a senior executive of the Democratic Party for the People firing the first shot by demanding Eto's swift resignation. Hours after the minister's departure, the head of the DPP, which has deepened policy coordination with the ruling camp while rejecting the idea of formally joining it, pressured Ishiba to the point where he promised to act on high rice prices. "Are you going to take responsibility as prime minister if rice prices don't fall into the 3,000 yen range?" DPP chief Yuichiro Tamaki asked Ishiba during a one-on-one debate, prompting him to vow to push them below the 4,000 yen threshold as soon as possible. Before the latest turmoil, former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Ishiba's immediate predecessor, said Tamaki could be a future candidate for premier, suggesting that LDP kingpins have lost confidence in the incumbent. Within his own Cabinet, Ishiba is expected to count on the personal popularity of Koizumi, who political experts say is a viable future prime minister, to make amends for Eto's failure. "For the prime minister, Mr. Koizumi may be a powerful rival but could also be a savior," Iwasaki said. (By Noriyuki Suzuki)
Japan Times
20-03-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Prime Minister Ishiba's struggles put his leadership in jeopardy
A Japanese prime minister can't just leisurely tackle global issues, manage the party, pass government legislation and endure endless hours of opposition questioning one by one. He must have the energy, mental capacity and leadership ability to handle all at once. So a clear sign that a prime minister is overwhelmed is when he starts making unforced errors. Which brings us to where things currently stand: After two years spent by his party dealing with a reporting scandal, Ishiba decided to hand out ¥100,000 gift certificates to 15 newly elected Liberal Democratic Party members. The opposition and the anti-LDP media quickly jumped on the move, with several parties calling for his resignation as prime minister. The usual suspect, or citizens group, filed a lawsuit the same day, alleging that Ishiba (and those who received the gifts) violated the political contributions law, which bans political funds from being given to individuals. Ishiba appeared genuinely shocked by the scandal. The certificates were quickly returned, so a bit of tempest in a teapot, but yet another example of his penchant for situational unawareness. They say it takes a village sometimes to achieve something meaningful. It took a significant effort, involving many of Japan's best and brightest experts on U.S.-Japan relations, to get the nation's accidental prime minister, Ishiba, to follow the plan for his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in early February. They had to teach him what to say, what not to say and when to smile. The long-delayed meeting allowed Japan to postpone the inevitable for a while. However, Ishiba had no plan beyond trying desperately to remain neutral on the situations in Ukraine, Gaza and the ongoing tariff war between the U.S., Europe, Canada and Mexico. Hiding in the weeds works for a while, but now there's no place to hide. Ishiba sent his commerce minister, Yoji Muto, to the U.S., but Japan's steel and aluminum exports remain subject to a 25% tariff, though that's a minor issue. The White House spokesperson took an odd shot at Japan's supposed "700%" import tariff on rice. However, this reflects that the new U.S. administration is moving quickly and relying on inaccurate data. The 350,000 tons of U.S. rice imported into Japan face a 0% tariff, while the U.S. imports very little Japanese rice. The "700% tariff" isn't actually a percentage but a fixed ¥341 per kilogram, which applies to just 0.03% of imported rice. Let's talk about reciprocity. But as Ishiba tries to milk his two-hour meeting with Trump for all it's worth, the focus is now shifting to a more pressing issue — autos. The good news first: Some 60% of new Japanese-branded cars sold in the United States are manufactured in Japanese-owned American factories that represent tens of billions of dollars in investments. Another 20% of Japanese car sales come from factories in Canada and Mexico. One hopes that the final investigations into parts content show that these cars fully comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and therefore should be imported tariff-free, as Trump himself negotiated the deal, making it harder to dispute. Now the bad news: That leaves about 1.4 million cars built in Japan and exported to the U.S. exposed to a new 25% tariff. That is going to hurt and Ishiba is doing nothing to prevent it. Then there is the issue of the prime minister's singular focus on getting the 2025 fiscal budget passed by the legislature before April 1. If he doesn't, Japan's parliament could start resembling the U.S. Congress with its continuing budget resolutions. The opposition parties will likely use the gift certificate scandal to hold him hostage right up to the very last minute. Japan's more powerful Lower House approved the heavily compromised budget, marking the first time in nearly three decades that a budget from the ruling government needed to be amended. And despite the LDP-led coalition holding a majority, the prime minister now faces expected opposition in the Upper House. Ishiba made a colossal mistake by calling an early election when one wasn't needed for another year. As a result, he now leads a barely governable minority government. He has meekly surrendered many of the levers of control and power in the Japanese government to opposition parties, who are taking full advantage of the situation, making him pay dearly. With an Upper House election looming in July, Ishiba is creating communication problems between the Prime Minister's Office, key decision-makers within his party and himself. He often announces decisions, only to reverse them later, like with the medical expense co-payment cap. This shows just how difficult the role of prime minister in Japan really is for most people. Ishiba is failing, and doing so very publicly. The annual budget has never needed to be amended a second time in the Upper House where the ruling LDP-Komeito coalition still holds a majority, at least for now. After members of his own party revolted against his plan to raise medical cost caps, he was forced to reverse the hike and revise the budget a second time. As I said during the LDP presidential election last September, he was never up for this job, something former Prime Ministers Fumio Kishida and Yoshihide Suga, who put him in the role, should have known. LDP lawmakers, especially those up for election in July, are growing restless, with some calling for a new party leader before then. Some may call this a conservative revolt, but it is broader than that. Ishiba has one job left: Pass the fiscal 2025 budget by March 31. After that, calls for him to step down will only intensify. With the world as turbulent as it is, the country cannot continue with such a weak and indecisive leader. Edo Naito is a commentator on Japanese politics, law and history. He is a retired international business attorney and has held board of director and executive positions at several U.S. and Japanese multinational companies.
