Prime Minister Ishiba Vows to Continue Governing Despite Coalition Loss
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has expressed his intention to remain in power despite his coalition's loss of a majority in the recent Lower House election.
"I will tackle the current severe challenges," Ishiba declared at a news conference on October 28th, a day after the election. "I want to continue to carry out my duties."
Ishiba's statement came in response to questions about his responsibility for failing to achieve the LDP-Komeito coalition's goal of securing a majority, or 233 seats, in the 465-seat Lower House. The coalition's performance was hampered by a political fund scandal involving the LDP, where party lawmakers failed to properly report large amounts of proceeds from fundraising parties.
The LDP and Komeito secured only 215 seats combined, a significant drop from the 279 they held before the election. The LDP's strength shrank by 56 seats to 191, while Komeito's fell by 8 seats to 24.
The disappointing results have led to calls for accountability within the LDP leadership. Shinjiro Koizumi, chairman of the party's Election Strategy Committee, submitted his resignation on October 28th, which was accepted by Ishiba. However, LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama has expressed his intention to remain in his position.
Moving forward, the ruling coalition will need to seek cooperation from opposition parties to ensure stable government administration. This could potentially involve expanding their framework to include a new party, with Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) and the Democratic Party for the People emerging as potential partners.
Ishiba has indicated that he is not currently considering forming a new coalition government. "At this point, I do not have a coalition (with other parties) in my mind," he stated. "We must begin by humbly incorporating and thoroughly discussing each other's policies."
The LDP, as the party that received the most seats in the election, will strive to gain public understanding for its stance of working with different parties. Ishiba acknowledged that the LDP received "a severe dressing-down from voters about its reform stance" due to the fund-raising scandal. He pledged to implement more drastic reforms to address issues concerning money in politics.
"We need to discuss political reforms across party lines and try to realize it swiftly," he emphasized.
Ishiba cited specific examples of potential reforms, including the abolition of policy activities expenses, greater disclosure about communication, transportation, and accommodation allowances, and the establishment of a third-party organ based on the revised Political Fund Control Law.
"Going back to my basics, I will spearhead hard-hitting reforms of our party by eliminating everything that the public thinks is the logic of party insiders," he concluded.