Japan’s PM holds onto role

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has won a parliamentary run-off vote to remain in power after the ruling bloc led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost its majority in the recent lower house election.

Ishiba defeated Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party in parliament, in the run-off to be prime minister.

“I’ll do my utmost to serve the nation and its people, in the midst of a difficult internal and external environment,” Ishiba, pictured, wrote on social media platform X after his formal appointment on November 11. 

The 67-year-old became prime minister at the beginning of October after replacing Fumio Kishida as leader of the LDP and swiftly called a snap election in an attempt to consolidate his mandate.

The election gamble failed, however, as the LDP lost its parliamentary majority in its worst result in over a decade, reports the BBC.

Ishiba will now lead a minority government, which means he will have to pay closer attention to demands from the opposition bloc for any future bills or budget to progress through parliament.

He told a news conference after the run-off that he hopes to co-operate with the opposition to implement political reform in the next session of parliament.

Among his immediate challenges are tackling rising inflation, a sluggish economy and a weak yen, reports the BBC.

On the foreign policy front, Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election could also mean potential new trade tariffs for Japan