Shigeru Ishiba, the new head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), bows toward the Japanese flag as he walks to the podium to speak at a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Tokyo on September 30, 2024. Agence France-Presse

PERTH: Just days after taking office, Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba already appears to be on the defensive. In his first policy speech to parliament on Oct 4, and certainly with an eye on the snap election on Oct 27, there was no explici

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the lower house of parliament on Wednesday (Oct 9) ahead of the Oct 27 snap electionsbetmaster, banking on his political honeymoon and a fragmented opposition to lead his scandal-tainted party

TOKYO: Japan's incoming prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said he wanted to clean up his ruling party, revitalise the economy and see off security threats from powerful neighbours after triumphing in his fifth and what he called final leadership bid o