Japan's new LDP leader Ishiba intends to call election for Oct. 27
Earlier in the day, Ishiba, a former defense minister, decided to dissolve the House of Representatives in October to seek a public mandate after engaging in parliamentary debates with opposition parties, sources close to him said.
Ishiba, meanwhile, has accelerated the selection of new executives of the ruling party and members of his prospective government, considering appointing former Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya as foreign minister, the sources said.
Some lawmakers said Ishiba aims to stabilize his party's weak internal base by tapping heavyweights for key posts, such as former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Suga is believed to have backed Ishiba in the runoff against economic security minister Sanae Takaichi.
But Takaichi has declined Ishiba's offer to become LDP general council chief, the sources said, underscoring the difficulties the new leader faces in achieving postrace party unity before the potential lower house election in the not-so-distant future.
Iwaya served as defense minister in the government of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had hawkish views. He supported Ishiba in Friday's election to become the LDP's president and, by extension, the next prime minister.
Ishiba has also opted to reinstate Gen Nakatani as defense minister, the sources said. Nakatani was defense minister for about two years until 2016. He had worked as head of the Defense Agency, the predecessor of the ministry, for more than a year from 2001.
The new leader had initially planned to give the post of state minister in charge of promoting reconstruction in disaster-hit areas to Nobuhide Minorikawa, who has served as the LDP's acting chair of the Diet affairs committee, but withdrew the offer.
Ishiba plans to tap lower house member Tadahiko Ito as reconstruction minister, while appointing Yoji Muto as industry minister, Yasuhiro Ozato as agriculture minister and Minoru Kiuchi as economic security minister, the sources said.
House of Councillors member Junko Mihara, a former actress, would be picked as minister responsible for child policy, lower house lawmaker Masaaki Taira as digital minister and Seiichiro Murakami as internal affairs minister, the sources added.
Following his victory in the party's leadership race, Ishiba is set to be named Japan's prime minister on Tuesday during an extraordinary Diet session, with the LDP and its coalition partner, the Komeito party, controlling both houses of parliament.
Among the other contenders in the LDP presidential election, Yoshimasa Hayashi is expected to stay on as chief Cabinet secretary, while former health minister Katsunobu Kato, known as a close aide to Abe, is likely to be named finance minister.
Ishiba, who also previously served as the LDP's secretary general, its No. 2 position, is also finalizing a new lineup of party executives to be announced Monday, intending to give the post of Diet affairs chief to farm minister Tetsushi Sakamoto, the sources said.
Hiroshi Moriyama, the head of the LDP's decision-making general council, will be tapped as the party's secretary general and former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera is expected to become policy chief.
Ishiba is planning to give the post of LDP vice president to Suga, replacing Taro Aso, who apparently supported Takaichi in the presidential election's runoff, the sources said. Aso also served as premier for around a year through 2009.
Aso would be appointed as supreme adviser of the LDP, a position with no effective decision-making authority, while Shinjiro Koizumi, a 43-year-old public favorite who was defeated in the LDP leadership contest, will be named the party's election campaign chief.
In a TV program on Sunday, Ishiba said an election should be held "at the earliest possible date," as Japan will have a new prime minister and Cabinet ministers. But he also said he wants to provide substance for voters to make a judgment.
Asked if an election in October is possible, Ishiba told public broadcaster NHK, "I don't deny various possibilities." An election must be held before the current term of lower house members ends in October 2025. The prime minister can dissolve the lower house.
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is calling for sufficient time to pose questions to the prime minister in parliament. It also wants the government to craft a supplementary budget to assist reconstruction efforts in areas hit by an earthquake and heavy rain in Ishikawa Prefecture.
==Kyodo
