Editorial

17:04 JST, October 2, 2024

The start of a new cabinet is happening in a totally unusual manner. It is unprecedented for an upcoming prime minister to announce the dissolution of the House of Representatives for a snap election before taking office.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reversed his previous stance that the lower house election would be held after debates between leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, and decided to dissolve the lower house as soon as possible. This indicates that he has accepted the insistence of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Signs can be seen that the leadership is shifting from the Prime Minister’s Office to the LDP in handling the government.

Ishiba will seek to secure a stable majority of seats by both the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito in the lower house election. He needs to clearly come out with his administration’s vision for the nation and specific policies through the election campaigning so that the public can easily make a decision.

Ishiba became the 102nd prime minister after voting in both chambers of the Diet to designate the prime minister, and he launched his Cabinet.

There is an urgent need to address domestic and international challenges, such as the declining population and worsening security environment. Ishiba must make every possible effort to resolve various difficult issues.

The prime minister retained Yoshimasa Hayashi as chief cabinet secretary, a key post in the Cabinet, and appointed Katsunobu Kato as finance minister. Both lawmakers have extensive experience as cabinet ministers, and the prime minister emphasized the sense of stability they........

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