Japan's 2024 Elections: Can Ishiba Turn Things Around?

In Japan, the polls opened on Sunday for the general election, marking a big test for the new Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba. He's trying to win voter support for his party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has faced a lot of scandals and low approval ratings. The LDP has ruled Japan for most of the time since 1955. Ishiba, 67, called for an early election right after becoming the LDP's leader. He wants the public to back the ruling party despite a big funding scandal where lawmakers were accused of taking kickbacks and not declaring their income. The previous prime minister, Fumio Kishida, tried to fix things by replacing some cabinet members and breaking up party factions, but he had to step down. People are also upset about rising living costs. A weak yen, slow economy, and high inflation are making things worse. Ishiba has promised to help low-income families, raise the minimum wage, and revitalize local areas. He also wants to control inflation and increase real wages. On the international scene, Ishiba wants to strengthen Japan's ties with the US and other allies. He thinks this is important because of the growing security threats in Asia, like China and North Korea. The US has always seen Japan as a key partner in the Asia-Pacific region. Ishiba's predecessor, Kishida, even expanded defense cooperation with the US this year. Ishiba wants a more balanced relationship, with more oversight of US military bases in Japan. As a defense minister, Ishiba was known for his strong views on security. He once suggested creating a NATO-like security bloc in Asia, but the US didn't like the idea. Ishiba isn't afraid to speak out and criticize his own party, which has made him popular with some people and unpopular with others. Voters will choose who fills the 465 seats in the House of Representatives, Japan's lower house of parliament. The goal is to win a majority of 233 seats. There are other important numbers too, like 261 seats for a stable majority, 244 seats for equal committee members, and 310 seats for a two-thirds majority to change the constitution. The LDP and the New Komeito Party are running together and already controlled 279 seats before the election.