Japan PM Ishiba to Equal Aso with 358 Days in Office Tues.

Tokyo, Sept. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will mark 358 days in office Tuesday, equaling the tenure of Taro Aso, currently supreme adviser of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Shortly after taking office in October last year, the Ishiba-led LDP and coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the House of Representatives in an election for the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament. This led to speculation early on that Ishiba’s time as prime minister would be short-lived. Ishiba announced this month that he will step down, after the LDP-Komeito coalition relinquished its majority in the House of Councillors in July’s election for the upper chamber. Still, Ishiba will be the 26th longest-serving prime minister among the 36 who filled the post after World War II. Ishiba “will totally dedicate himself to tackling existing issues throughout his remaining time as LDP president,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference Friday. Voicing relief, a close aide to Ishiba said, “He’s managed to avoid being in the top 10 list of shortest-serving (postwar prime ministers).” Ishiba and Aso share a complicated relationship. In 2009, then agriculture minister Ishiba called for an early LDP presidential election in response to the party’s defeat in a Tokyo metropolitan assembly election, effectively demanding the resignation of then Prime Minister and LDP President Aso. Since then, Aso has kept his distance from Ishiba. Their positions reversed 16 years later. After Ishiba voiced his intention to stay on despite the LDP’s Upper House election rout, Aso announced that he would submit a written request for an early leadership election. His action spurred moves among LDP members to oust Ishiba from leadership. Ishiba is set to step down after the party’s Oct. 4 presidential election, but he will stay in the post of prime minister until his successor is elected by the Diet. This means that he will almost certainly surpass the 365-day tenure of Yasuo Fukuda, the 25th longest-serving postwar prime minister. Ishiba, however, will likely fall short of Yoshihide Suga, who held the post for 384 days. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]