Japanese lawmakers voted on Monday to retain Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as leader after his scandal-plagued coalition lost its parliamentary majority in the House of Representatives elections last month.
Ishiba, who has called for early elections since taking office on October 1, now faces the challenge of leading a fragile minority government amid Donald Trump’s return to office, rising tensions with China and North Korea, and increasing domestic pressure to address the cost-of-living crisis.
As expected, Ishiba won 221 votes, surpassing his closest rival, former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of the Constitutional Democratic Party, but he still fell short of a majority in the 465-seat House of Representatives.
Japan’s Upper House elections are scheduled for next year, where the ruling coalition’s slim majority could be at risk if Ishiba cannot restore public confidence shaken by recent scandals over off-the-books donations to lawmakers.
Amid pressure from voters and opposition parties to increase welfare spending and stabilize rising prices, Ishiba’s primary challenge is to prepare a supplementary budget for the fiscal year ending in March. This budget will require support from at least one opposition party to pass, likely the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), led by Yuichiro Tamaki.
While Tamaki has held cooperation talks with Ishiba, DPP lawmakers on Friday did not vote to retain Ishiba as prime minister. Tamaki himself faces scrutiny after acknowledging an extramarital affair, which was reported by a tabloid on Monday.
Following his reappointment, Ishiba appointed new ministers for transport, justice, and agriculture to replace LDP lawmakers who lost their seats in the House of Representatives.
Looking ahead, Ishiba must prepare for key international engagements, including the G20 summit in Brazil on November 18-19. He is also working to coordinate a visit with Trump in the US, aiming to reestablish a close relationship with the U.S. president-elect.
During Trump’s first term (2017-2021), Japan largely avoided protectionist trade measures and cost-sharing demands for the US military presence thanks to Trump’s strong relationship with then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe—a rapport Ishiba seems eager to rebuild.
