Political provocateur, the new prime minister of Japan

Japan's new prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, says he reads three books a day and would rather do that than socialize with colleagues from the ruling party who elected him as the new leader yesterday.

The election of 67-year-old Ishiba after four failed attempts puts the self-proclaimed lone wolf at the helm of the Liberal Democratic Party that has ruled Japan for most of the past seven decades.

Ishiba takes over a party in crisis whose support has waned over the past two years due to revelations about ties to a church that critics have labeled a cult and scandals over unrecorded donations.

Ishiba, who is considered an intellectual rock within the LDP and a national security expert, advocates for a more assertive Japan that can reduce its reliance on its longtime ally, the United States, for defense. Analysts say that this attitude could complicate relations with Washington, writes Reuters.

During the LDP leadership campaign, he called for Japan to lead the creation of an "Asian NATO", an idea that Washington immediately rejected as too hasty.

In Okinawa, where the majority of US troops in Japan are concentrated, he said he would seek greater control over the bases they use. He also wants Washington to give Japan its word on how to use nuclear weapons in Asia.

A former defense minister who entered parliament in 1986 after a brief career in banking, Ishiba was marginalized by previous prime ministers, including the outgoing Fumi Kishida, and became a voice of opposition within the party.

He railed against policies, including increased use of nuclear power, and criticized his party for not allowing married couples to use different surnames.

"I undoubtedly hurt many people's feelings, caused unpleasant situations and caused many people suffering. I sincerely apologize for all my shortcomings," he said in an address to LDP lawmakers gathered at the party's headquarters for the election, before narrowly defeating nationalist politician Sanae Takaichi.

Launching his campaign at a Shinto shrine in rural Totori Prefecture, where his father was governor and where Ishiba began his political career at the height of Japan's booming economy, he told supporters that this was his "final battle".

Outspokenly expressing opinions, including calls for Kishida to resign, he has made enemies within the LDP, although he has long been popular with the general public. However, he moderated some political views that brought him into conflict with his party colleagues. He said he would keep some reactors operating in Japan, even though he has previously opposed nuclear power and supported renewables.

"Politicians don't have to be best friends, as long as their political views match," Ishiba said in a video posted on YouTube this week.

During his time out of government, he remained in the public eye through media appearances, social media posts and YouTube posts commenting on a variety of topics, from Japan's declining birthrate to ramen noodles.

He also jokes about himself, including sometimes odd mannerisms and hobbies such as making plastic models of ships and military aircraft, some of which he displays on shelves in his assembly office in Tokyo.

"Asian NATO" is a test for American diplomacy

Reuters writes that Ishiba could cause a diplomatic headache for the United States with proposals to reform Tokyo's closest alliance, by tying Washington to "Asian NATO" and deploying Japanese troops on American soil.

He outlined his plan in a document for the Hudson Institute last week. Ishiba argues that the changes would deter China from using military force in Asia.

"The absence of a collective self-defense system like NATO in Asia means that wars are probably possible because there is no mutual defense obligation," he wrote. Ishiba, like many Japanese politicians, has expressed concern about the rise of Chinese military activity around the Japanese islands.

Washington has already rejected the idea of ​​NATO as too hasty.

Ishiba, however, reiterated his idea yesterday, saying at a press conference that the "relative decline of US power" made it necessary to form an Asian agreement organization.

Reuters reports that Washington provides protection with its nuclear arsenal and has an aircraft carrier, fighter jets and about 50.000 troops in Japan.

Reuters writes that Ishiba's potentially disruptive changes would come as the US pushes for closer ties and Tokyo seeks military cooperation with South Korea and Australia, as well as strengthening security ties with European countries, including Britain and France, to counter China's growing influence. .

Ishiba's NATO would combine a set of existing diplomatic and security agreements, including the Quad Group, Japan, the US, Australia and India, the AUKUS agreement between Canberra, Washington and London, as well as Japan's deepening security cooperation with neighbor and rival Seoul.

The new security alliance, Ishiba said, could even share control of Washington's nuclear weapons as a deterrent against Japan's nuclear-armed neighbors.

Campaigning ahead of yesterday's vote, Ishiba said he wanted to adjust Japan's alliance with the US, including greater oversight of US military bases in Japan, which are often a source of tension with the local population.

He also said in the document to Hudson that Japan's military alliance with the US could be revised so that Tokyo could deploy troops to Guam, a US territory, for the first time since 1944.

"I would venture to guess that it won't happen," Rintaro Nishimura of The Asia Group Japan told Reuters. "It seems like he's trying to fundamentally change the relationship, but not in a completely negative way."