Japan’s incoming prime minister Shigeru Ishiba faces stiff challenges and a hostile ruling party rife with infighting that could quickly remove him from office, plunging the country back into political chaos, analysts warn.
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Ishiba, 67, who won the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership vote on Friday, will be elected premier by parliament on Tuesday.
Observers say the former defence minister has “no good policies” and the LDP was “using” him to retain power in a snap election expected by the end of the year.
“Ishiba is of good character, but he has no reputation as a statesman,” said Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor of politics and international relations at Waseda University.
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“The party chose Ishiba because he was far better than the alternative, Sanae Takaichi,” he added. “If the LDP had elected Takaichi, then it would have fared very badly at the next election, it would have effectively been broken and there would be turmoil throughout Japanese politics.”