Shigeru Ishiba

Shigeru Ishiba
Shigeru Ishiba
	石破茂
Minister for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy
	In office; 3 September 2014 – 3 August 2016
Prime Minister	Shinzō Abe
Preceded by	Position Created
Succeeded by	Kozo Yamamoto
Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party
	In office; 26 September 2012 – 3 September 2014
Prime Minister	Shinzō Abe
Preceded by	Kosuke Hori
Succeeded by	Sadakazu Tanigaki
Minister of Defence
	In office; 26 September 2007 – 1 August 2008
Prime Minister	Yasuo Fukuda
Preceded by	Masahiko Kōmura
Succeeded by	Yoshimasa Hayashi
Member of the House of Representatives
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 8 July 1986
Constituency	Tottori 1st district
Director-General of the Japan Defense Agency
	In office; 30 September 2002 – 27 September 2004
Prime Minister	Junichiro Koizumi
Preceded by	Gen Nakatani
Succeeded by	Yoshinori Ohno
Personal details
Born	4 February 1957; Yazu, Tottori, Japan
Alma mater	Keio University

Shigeru Ishiba (石破茂, Ishiba Shigeru, born 4 February 1957) is a Japanese politician. Ishiba is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and of Heisei-Kenkyukai (part of the party faction led by Fukushiro Nukaga) until 2011.[1] He was Director General of the Japan Defense Agency from 2002-2004, Minister of Defense from 2007 to 2008 and was also Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The LDP lost government in 2009, and in 2012 after challenging for the presidency of the LDP and losing to Shinzō Abe he accepted the position of Secretary-General of the LDP on 27 September 2012. From 3 September 2014[2] to 3 August 2016, he served in cabinet as minister overseeing regional economic revitalization and policies aimed at reversing population decline.

Early life

Born and raised in Yazu District, Tottori, his father Jiro was the governor of Tottori Prefecture. Ishiba graduated from Keio University in 1979 and started working in Mitsui Bank.

Political career

With members of the Yasuo Fukuda Cabinet (26 September 2007)

Ishiba was appointed as the Minister of Defense to the cabinet of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on 26 September 2007,[1] serving in that post until 1 August 2008. Ishiba was the second person in the cabinet of Fukuda to express belief in the existence of UFOs after Nobutaka Machimura.[3] To that end he appeared on a Japanese TV program which featured dubbed extracts from the National Geographic Channel's Alien Invasion series in June 2012.

Following Fukuda's resignation, Ishiba stood as a candidate for the LDP presidency. In the leadership election, held on 22 September 2008, Tarō Asō won with 351 of the 527 votes; Ishiba placed fifth and last with 25 votes.[4] In Aso's Cabinet, appointed on 24 September 2008, Ishiba was named as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.[5]

In 2012, while the LDP was still in opposition, Ishiba again stood for the presidency of the LDP and was narrowly defeated by Shinzō Abe. He accepted the position of secretary general on 27 September 2012.[6] Abe re-appointed him to the position after the December 2012 election in which the LDP returned to government.[7]

He attracted considerable criticism for his statement in November 2013 that likened peaceful public protests against the new secrecy bill being introduced by his government to "acts of terrorism".[8] He later withdrew the comment.[9]

In the September 2014 cabinet reshuffle, Abe moved Ishiba from his position as LDP Secretary General and appointed him to a newly created office of Minister for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy. He was reported to have declined the offer of a cabinet post responsible for the government's upcoming security legislation.[2]

In spite of having been a vocal critic of factionalism in the LDP, Ishiba launched his own faction, the Suigetsukai, on September 28, 2015, with the aim of succeeding sitting prime minister, Shinzo Abe. However, with 19 members, excluding Ishiba, it was one member short of the 20 votes required for nomination for LDP leadership.[10]

Ishiba is affiliated to the openly right-wing organization Nippon Kaigi.[11]

Interest in military issues

Ishiba is known as a "gunji otaku" (military geek) and has a keen interest in military matters.[12] He is known for having a lot of expertise related to weapons systems, legal issues about defense and is also fond of building and painting models of aircraft and ships.[13]

Ishiba has repeatedly stated that he believes that Japan needs its own equivalent of the United States Marine Corps to be able to defend its many small islands, in 2010 when he was policy chief for the LDP in opposition,[14] and as secretary-general of the party in March 2013 after the LDP regained government.[15]

In 2011, Ishiba backed the idea of Japan maintaining the capability of building nuclear weapons:

I don't think Japan needs to possess nuclear weapons, but it's important to maintain our commercial reactors because it would allow us to produce a nuclear warhead in a short amount of time ... It's a tacit nuclear deterrent[16]

During the 2013 North Korean crisis, Ishiba stated that Japan had the right to deliver a preemptive strike against North Korea.[17]

In 2017, Ishiba reiterated that Japan should have the capability to build nuclear weapons, stating that “Japan should have the technology to build a nuclear weapon if it wants to do so”.[18]

Gallery

Ishiba and United States Donald Rumsfeld, 15 November 2003.
Ishiba and United States Robert Gates, 8 November 2007.

References

"Fukuda Cabinet launched / Changes minimized to reduce impact on Diet business", The Yomiuri Shimbun, 26 September 2007.
"Abe keeps core intact in Cabinet shake-up". Japan Times. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
Japan's defense minister braces for aliens, inquirer.net, 20 December 2007
"Aso elected LDP head", The Yomiuri Shimbun, 22 September 2008.
"Aso elected premier / Announces Cabinet lineup himself; poll likely on Nov. 2", The Yomiuri Shimbun, 25 September 2008.
[The Japan Times] Ishiba to be LDP's new secretary general 28 September 2012
Wall Street Journal Japan's Abe Appoints Ex-Rival as His No. 2 December 25, 2012
Japan Times Secrecy law protests ‘act of terrorism’: LDP secretary-general December 1, 2013
Japan Times Ishiba softens criticism of bill protesters December 2, 2013
Nikkei Asian Review Senior LDP member Ishiba forms faction, aiming to succeed Abe September 28, 2015 Archived 8 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine
"Abe’s reshuffle promotes right-wingers" (Korea Joongang Daily - 2014/09/05)
[The Japan Times] LDP off the policy autopilot: Ishiba 8 October 2009
[The Japan Times] 'Military geek' Ishiba returns to friendly territory 27 September 2007
Japan Times Japan needs own marines: LDP’s Ishiba May 25, 2010
NHK website Ishiba urges creation of Japanese marine corps March 26, 2013
Chester Dawson (28 October 2011). "In Japan, Provocative Case for Staying Nuclear". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/04/15/2013041501034.html
"Japan should be able to build nuclear weapons: ex-LDP Secretary-General Ishiba". The Japan Times Online. 6 November 2017. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 7 November 2017.

House of Representatives of Japan
New district	Representative for Tottori 1st district 1996–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Yasuo Shimada Bun Takebe Kōzō Hirabayashi Hideyuki Aizawa	Representative for Tottori At-large district 1986–1996 Served alongside: Kōzō Hirabayashi, Kōken Nosaka, Hideyuki Aizawa, Bun Takebe	district eliminated
Political offices
Preceded by Position Created	Minister for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy 2014–2016	Succeeded by Kozo Yamamoto
Preceded by Seiichi Ota	Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan 2008–2009	Succeeded by Hirotaka Akamatsu
Preceded by Masahiko Kōmura	Minister of Defence of Japan 2007–2008	Succeeded by Yoshimasa Hayashi
Preceded by Gen Nakatani	Director General of Japan Defense Agency 2002–2004	Succeeded by Yoshinori Ohno
Party political offices
Preceded by Nobuteru Ishihara	Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party 2012–2014	Succeeded by Sadakazu Tanigaki
Preceded by Kōsuke Hori	Policy Affairs Research Council Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party 2009–2011	Succeeded by Toshimitsu Motegi

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[Launch-1] "Fukuda Cabinet launched / Changes minimized to reduce impact on Diet business", The Yomiuri Shimbun, 26 September 2007.

[Japan_Times-2] "Abe keeps core intact in Cabinet shake-up". Japan Times. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2015.

[3] Japan's defense minister braces for aliens, inquirer.net, 20 December 2007

[4] "Aso elected LDP head", The Yomiuri Shimbun, 22 September 2008.

[5] "Aso elected premier / Announces Cabinet lineup himself; poll likely on Nov. 2", The Yomiuri Shimbun, 25 September 2008.

[6] [The Japan Times] Ishiba to be LDP's new secretary general 28 September 2012

[7] Wall Street Journal Japan's Abe Appoints Ex-Rival as His No. 2 December 25, 2012

[8] Japan Times Secrecy law protests ‘act of terrorism’: LDP secretary-general December 1, 2013

[9] Japan Times Ishiba softens criticism of bill protesters December 2, 2013

[10] Nikkei Asian Review Senior LDP member Ishiba forms faction, aiming to succeed Abe September 28, 2015 Archived 8 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine

[11] "Abe’s reshuffle promotes right-wingers" (Korea Joongang Daily - 2014/09/05)

[12] [The Japan Times] LDP off the policy autopilot: Ishiba 8 October 2009

[13] [The Japan Times] 'Military geek' Ishiba returns to friendly territory 27 September 2007

[14] Japan Times Japan needs own marines: LDP’s Ishiba May 25, 2010

[15] NHK website Ishiba urges creation of Japanese marine corps March 26, 2013

[wsj-20111028-16] Chester Dawson (28 October 2011). "In Japan, Provocative Case for Staying Nuclear". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 March 2014.

[17] ttp://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/04/15/2013041501034.html

[18] "Japan should be able to build nuclear weapons: ex-LDP Secretary-General Ishiba". The Japan Times Online. 6 November 2017. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 7 November 2017.