Japan's Fumio Kishida re-elected as Prime Minister with huge margin

On Wednesday, 10 November Fumio Kishida was re-elected as Japan's Prime Minister after his ruling party won a huge victory in crucial legislative elections. Kishida, who was elected by parliament a little over a month ago, called a snap election in which his ruling party won 261 seats in the 465-member lower house, the more powerful of Japan's two-chamber legislature, giving him a free hand in pushing legislation through parliament, reported AP. The victory on 31 October strengthened his grip on power and was viewed as a mandate from voters for his newly formed administration to address the pandemic-ravaged economy, virus measures, and other issues. According to Kishida, the results show that voters prefer stability over change. 

Kishida will be forming his second Cabinet later in the day (10 November), maintaining all but one of the ministers he appointed when he took office on 4 October. Further, he is expected to hold a press conference where the PM will be outlining his economic goals and other major policies, reported AP. A month ago, the Liberal Democrats nominated Kishida as a safe, conservative candidate. They expected significant electoral losses if the unpopular former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga remained in office. Notably, Suga resigned after only a year in office, after he drew heavy criticism for mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and conducting the Tokyo Olympics despite fears of a virus outbreak. 

Kishida's hold on power to be bolstered by his Cabinet shuffle

It should be mentioned here that the better-than-expected election results may provide Kishida's government with more power and time to implement campaign promises such as COVID-19 control, economic regeneration, and strengthening Japan's defence capability. Meanwhile, Kishida's hold on power may be bolstered by his Cabinet shuffle. Former Education Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, a major policy specialist from his party, will be the new Foreign Minister, while former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will be promoted to the governing party's No. 2 position. 

Kishida's primary post-election responsibility is to put together a big economic stimulus package of approximately 30 trillion yen, which will be announced next week. He also intends to pass an additional budget to fund the projects by the end of the year. As a former foreign minister, Kishida is also expected to continue to prioritise the Japan-US security alliance and push a vision of a "free and open Indo-Pacific" with other democracies, especially Quad discussion members the US, Australia, and India. Concerns over China's expanding power and influence, as well as North Korea's missile and nuclear threats, have prompted Kishida to emphasise the significance of a stronger military.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP