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EXPERT COMMENT

Incoming Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has called for snap elections in a bid to increase his mandate and put his party’s finance scandal to rest.

Shigeru Ishiba won the 27 September Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader contest over Sanae Takaichi in a decisive vote; he was elected as the 102nd Prime Minister of Japan on 1 October.

This party leader contest was the largest-ever election with nine candidates. Due to the party finance scandal, many factions, which were the source of power distribution in the party, were dissolved. As a result, the election was not based on traditional factional dynamics, but on a free vote by MPs and ordinary LDP members. 

Whereas the previous two party leader contests were an emergency response to the resignation of the prime minister, this time the election followed the expiry of Kishida’s term of party leadership. This allowed sufficient time for the election campaign to be fought. Consequently, media attention was high, and the party leader contest had the nuances of a pseudo-national election. Each candidate advocated for his or her policies and sought to win the votes of MPs and ordinary LDP members across the country.

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.