Former defense minister set to lead Japan amid efforts to counter China's growing power

Shigeru Ishiba is set to become Japan’s new prime minister after the governing Liberal Democratic Party elected him as its new leader on Friday.

TOKYO — Shigeru Ishiba is set to become Japan’s next prime minister after the governing Liberal Democratic Party elected him as its new leader on Friday, as the U.S. ally takes on a growing role in countering China’s influence in the region.

Ishiba, a straight-talking former defense minister, will take office on Tuesday when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his cabinet ministers resign and Ishiba is elected his successor by members of the LDP-controlled parliament.

Ishiba, 67, will face public anger over rising prices, as well as difficult demographic and labor issues in a country with a shrinking and fast-aging population of about 125 million and the world’s fourth-largest economy.

He is also contending with a complicated security environment in the Asia-Pacific region, where the U.S. has been strengthening ties with Japan and other allies in an effort to counter China’s growing power. Japan has another volatile neighbor in North Korea, which has been accelerating missile launches and may be on the verge of its seventh nuclear test.

At a news conference on Friday, Ishiba said there were a “mountain of issues” related to national security.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/japan-shigeru-ishiba-prime-minister-ldp-leadership-rcna172968

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