On the night of 14 May, former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi led several veteran ministers of the "Koizumi Cabinet" to have a meal with a member of the Diet at a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo. This meal has attracted great attention from Japanese politics and Japanese society, and more than 20 reporters blocked the door of the restaurant that night, and everyone speculated about what Koizumi was going to do.
Junichiro Koizumi was elected the 87th Prime Minister of Japan in April 2001. At that time, the campaign slogan was "Change the LDP, change Japan." As a result, he became a prime minister for five and a half years and became a generation of prime ministers. He then groomed his political junior, Shinzo Abe, who later served as prime minister twice and served for more than eight years.
Former Prime Minister Koichiro Koizumi
Koizumi resigned as a member of the Diet in 2008 to help his youngest son, Shinjiro Koizumi, take over his political mantle. Although it has been 16 years since he left the political arena, Koizumi, who is 82 years old, still has deep political influence, and some people even call on Koizumi to return to politics and learn from Biden to return to state power.
So, why did Koizumi, who lives in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, lead several veteran ministers to gather in Tokyo to have dinner with a junior Diet member?
Because this member of the Diet is named "Shigeru Ishiba", Shigeru Ishiba has been ranked first in the poll of "who do you most expect to be the prime minister of Japan" in recent years.
Who is Shi Po Shigeru?
Born into a bureaucratic family, his father served as vice minister of construction at the Ministry of Construction, governor of Tottori Prefecture, and chairman of the National Public Security Commission. A graduate of Keio University's Faculty of Law, Shigeru Ishiba worked for Sumitomo Mitsui Bank for four years, and in 1986, at the age of 29, Shigeru Ishiba was elected to the House of Representatives, and from then on, he began his career in politics with the sole goal of becoming Prime Minister of Japan.
The 66-year-old Shigeru Ishiba has served as Minister of Defense, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Minister in charge of Regional Revitalization, Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Political Research Committee, and Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party. In terms of seniority, he has been in politics for 38 years, and he has stepped on the closest step to the prime minister's throne - the secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Shigeru Ishiba, who is bent on challenging for the prime minister's throne
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is the ruling party in Japan, and the party's top leader (president) is the prime minister, and the actual leader of the party is the secretary-general.
The Japanese people generally believe that Shigeru Ishiba is a person with a strong goal, who speaks clearly and has a clear point of view, who can clearly convey his ideas to everyone, and is honest. As for diplomacy and politics, he strives to find a balance and is a politician with a strong ability to reconcile. Because he often participates in discussions on TV current affairs programs, he is very popular among the Japanese people, and most people believe that if Shigeru Ishiba is the prime minister, Japan will have a better life.
Therefore, even though Shigeru Ishiba does not hold any position in the current Liberal Democratic Party and the government's cabinet, the Japanese people still support his candidacy for prime minister, and in recent public opinion surveys by major media, Shigeru Ishiba is still ranked as the first and most suitable candidate for "future prime minister".
In September this year, the LDP will hold a new presidential election, because the party president is the natural candidate for prime minister, which also means that whoever becomes the president of the LDP can become the new prime minister.
Shigeru Ishiba with Prime Minister Kishida
Fumio Kishida has been prime minister for more than 2 years, and his approval rating has fallen to about 20%. Kishida is reluctant to step down easily, so he is actively seeking re-election. Then, building a strong competitor to confront Kishida in the LDP's new presidential election in September this year has become a major goal of the anti-Kishida forces within the LDP.
Therefore, the dinner between former Prime Minister Koizumi and Shigeru Ishiba detonated all kinds of speculations in Japanese society. Because in any case, Ishiba Shigeru is still Koizumi's old minister, and in Koizumi's cabinet, Ishiba Shigeru once served as the head of the Defense Agency.
After eating this meal for more than 2 hours, when he left the restaurant, Koizumi smiled and left without saying a word in the face of questions from many reporters. Taku Yamazaki, the former vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party who participated in the dinner together, stopped.
After Koizumi finished the meal, he waved to the reporters and left.
Reporter: Have you discussed the choice of the next prime minister?
Yamazaki replied: After talking about it, I mentioned three of the most suitable candidates for the next prime minister, one is Shigeru Ishiba, one is Shinjiro Koizumi, and the other is Yoko Kamikawa (the current foreign minister).
Q: What do you think of Prime Minister Kishida?
A: You think that if the approval rating of the Kishida cabinet does not recover, it will be very difficult for the LDP to win in the next general election.
The reporter asked: So, what advice does Koizumi's former head have for Shi Po Shigeru?
Yamazaki: Koizumi said to Shigeru Ishiba: Being prime minister requires talent, hard work, and luck. In our efforts, we must attach great importance to morality and human feelings.
The election of the prime minister in Japan is not a vote of the entire people, but a vote of all members of the Diet. In the Diet, where the LDP holds more than half of the seats, the LDP president is naturally the "ex-officio prime minister." The LDP presidential election, which is the first part of the series, is also attended by LDP members of the Diet and local organizations. Therefore, even if Shigeru Ishiba is very popular among the people, if he does not have the support of the majority of LDP MPs, it will be in vain.
In the coming months, there will inevitably be an undercurrent in Japanese politics, can Shigeru Ishiba replace Kishida? Luck can be the big deal.