P - rospects & P erspectives - The Strategic Orientation of the Ishiba

The race for the new head of the LDP was fierce, pitting Ishiba against the conservative rival Sanae Takaichi and the rising star Shinjiro Koizumi. [...] Takaichi consistently appealed to the conservative hard-right, a stance that worried many LDP diet members, who apprehended that a shift to the right could undermine the LDP in the coming general election. [...] In addition, the Japanese people are tired of the endemic corruption within the LDP, which was the main trigger for Kishida’s decision to step down. [...] S.-Japan alliance, and to implement the 2022 National Security Strategy, which requires increasing defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027 Ishiba has emphasized the importance of the U. [...] Kuo is Professor, Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies, National Sun Yat-sen University.) Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or the position of the Prospect Foundation.