He eventually shepherded the JDA’s transition to a full-fledged ministry in 2007–08 under Yasuo Fukuda, serving as its first Minister of Defence. At that time, his penchant for making outlandish remarks became well-known. For example, he half-jokingly stated that he would mobilise the Self-Defence Forces to fight space alien vessels and the fic
benches before returning
Initially a member of the agriculture ‘zoku’ (‘tribe’, used to refer to members of the Diet interested in particular policy domains), Ishiba quickly developed an interest in foreign policy and defence issues after the 1990 Gulf War. As one of the prominent defectors from the LDP in 1993, he spent the next three years in the opposition bench
Born in a political family
As he took office as interim Prime Minister on 1 October, Ishiba faces a host of challenges and questions about his past stances and future policies. This Brief places in perspective the likely consequences of his victory in the general elections, which he has stated will be held on 27 October 2024 Born in a political family in 1957, Shigeru Ishiba