Ishiba Embarks on Year of Difficulty

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited Ise Shrine on January 6th, as a routine event of the prime minister to start working of a new year. In his press conference right after the visit, Ishiba stressed his effort to ask cooperation from the opposition parties to pass the budget bill for FY 2025. Having said that, Ishiba hopes to promote his agenda for reforming Japan with decentralization.

Ishiba took a longer new-year recess than previous prime ministers. It has been usual that the prime minister would begin new year working with the visit of Ise Jungu Shrine and following press conference on January 4. Ishiba announced last month that he would visit Ise on January 6 and have his first press conference in the afternoon.

 

In the press conference on January 6, Ishiba hoped to build a “pleasant Japan.” According to his historiography, the government of Japan has built a “strong Japan” and business sector brought a “prosperous Japan.” He proposed new Japan where the people can live their life with hope of better tomorrow than today. Quoting the policy of his political mentor, Kakuei Tanaka, he named his initiative “Reiwa version of remodeling the Japanese archipelago.”

 

In 2025, Ishiba is going to focus on achieving growth-oriented economy led by wage hike and investment. He hopes to consolidate sustainable social security system which is applicable to every generation. To be ready to any natural disaster, Ishiba administration is promoting establishment of Disaster Prevention Agency hopefully in FY 2026.

 

North Korea launched a missile in the morning of the day. Ishiba disclosed his recognition that the security in the Northeast Asia is not unrelated to the war in Ukraine or Palestine, calling current situation the most difficult in the post-war era. Admitting that the day of meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has not fixed, Ishiba said that he would ask U.S. President how the acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel would affect U.S. security.

 

The basis for implementation of his agenda 2025 is budget. The leading coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito does not have a simple majority in the House of Representatives to pass the budget bill.

 

Having no optimistic perspective for securing majority for the budget bill, Ishiba does not rule out a grand coalition inviting the opposition parties, including Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), to his cabinet. In a radio program broadcast on January 1, Ishiba referred to a possibility of the grand coalition. “It is possible as one of the options we have,” told Ishiba about including members of opposition parties.

 

To a regret for Ishiba, the leaders of main opposition parties dismissed that possibility. The head of CDPJ, Yoshihiko Noda, showed his idea that a grand coalition must be a choice in extreme emergency such as occurrence of great earthquake or pandemic. The leaders of DPP and Ishin also emphasized that they would continue policy talks as opposition parties. Ishiba is still walking on the edge.

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