Meet Shigeru Ishiba who failed four times before becoming Japan’s new Prime Minister

Japan’s parliament has confirmed Shigeru Ishiba as the new prime minister.

Members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) used their majority to confirm Ishiba’s appointment on Tuesday. The 67-year-old replaces outgoing leader Fumio Kishida.

Ishiba had won the leadership election of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) which set him to become the country’s next prime minister.

The former defense minister prevailed on Friday in a tight contest, defeating Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, 63, in a run-off.

In a short speech to the Parliament he pledged to make the country safe and speak the truth.

“I will do my utmost to believe in the people, to speak the truth with courage and sincerity, and to make this country a safe and secure place where everyone can live with a smile on their face once again,” he said.

Ishiba is popular with the public but has failed four times to secure the post of party leader, an important step to becoming Prime Minister.

Who is Shigeru Ishiba?

Ishiba was born on February 4, 1957, in Tottori, to a politician father, Ishiba Jiro who served as the governor of Tottori Prefecture and the minister of home affairs. During his lifetime, Jiro had been friends with former Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei, and was said to have been fascinated by Tanaka’s personality.

He moved to Tokyo to study law at Keio University, after finishing school. He worked at the Mitsui Bank, only to join politics in 1983, and went on to become one of the youngest members at 29 years to be elected to the House of Representatives from Tottori prefecture in 1986.

In 1993, Ishiba defected from the LDP to join the Japan Renewal Party, only to return to the LDP three years later in 1996.

The 67-year-old began his election campaign at Shinto shrine in rural Tottori prefecture, from where he was elected to the House of Representatives at the start of his political career in 1986

The former defense minister has held various other positions, including the minister in charge of the Council on Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan and as senior state secretary for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

His campaign focused heavily on security issues, and he has indicated he will push for more oversight over Washington’s use of its bases in Japan, and also for Japan to have a say in how the US might use its nuclear weapons in Asia. Other suggestions have included the creation of an ‘Asian NATO’.

Takeshi Iwaya, one of the LDP legislators supporting Ishiba’s candidacy, describes the veteran politician as a man with a “sincere and honest attitude towards politics”.

He succeeds former PM Fumio Kishida as the chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

This was Ishiba’s fifth attempt at leading the LDP in his 38-year-long political career.

Ishiba has pledged to push for more diversity and gender equality and has supported a revision to a 19th-century civil code that requires married couples to choose one of their surnames. Moves to change the code have stalled for decades because of LDP opposition.

At a recent speech in Tokyo, Ishiba said Japanese women are among the shortest sleepers in the world because of their heavy responsibilities both at work and at home. He said most husbands, including himself, hardly help with childrearing and homemaking.

Ishiba is married to Yoshiko whom he met when they were both students at Keio University. They got married in 1983 and have two daughters.