Japan’s parliament re-elected Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday after his ruling coalition suffered its worst defeat in over a decade, having lost its parliamentary majority in a lower-house snap election last month.
The 67-year-old took over as prime minister from Fumio Kishida, who stepped down in September amid a series of scandals that undermined public trust in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Days after taking office in October, Ishiba called a snap election for the parliament’s lower house, in a bid to confirm his mandate. Instead of a strengthened position, however, he faced a significant setback as voters, outraged by soaring inflation and a slush-fund scandal, handed the ruling bloc its worst performance since 2009.
Ishiba’s LDP and its coalition partner Komeito lost their long-held majority in the 465-seat Lower House, with the LDP share falling from 247 to 191 seats, while Komeito lost eight seats and ended up with 24.
On Monday, in what became the first parliamentary runoff vote in 30 years, Ishiba beat Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda by 221-160 votes.
He will now lead a minority government with an emboldened opposition. He has already reappointed most of his previous cabinet members and stressed that the most important goal is to “make sure that Japan is a peaceful nation and people's livelihoods improve.”
The LDP has come under scrutiny over political scandals in recent years, including its ties to the controversial Unification Church, as well as allegations that party officials had pocketed millions of dollars in donations.
Under Ishiba’s leadership, the LDP had distanced itself from scandal-tainted candidates by refusing to endorse them. However, it came under increased scrutiny after allegations that it still funded their regional branches.
Ishiba has been described by Japanese media as a “lone wolf” politician with a “stubborn streak,” earning him both high-level enemies and grassroots allies.
He has also called for Japan, a key US ally in the region, to spearhead the creation of an Asian version of NATO to counter potential threats from China and North Korea.