Shigeru Ishiba, who won the presidential election for the fifth time, is “happier not to be” the prime minister! Shigeru Ishiba, who won the presidential election for the fifth time.

Ishiba Kayo” is trending.

The LDP presidential election, which had been the focus of attention for the three-way battle between Ishiba, Takaichi, and Koizumi, resulted in the election of former Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba (67) as the 28th president of the LDP, following a ballot counting held on the afternoon of September 27.

The election was a huge battle with nine candidates, the largest number in history. In the first round of voting, Sanae Takaichi, 63, Minister of Economy and Security, came out on top with 181 votes, followed by Ishiba with 154 votes, but since neither of them reached a majority, a runoff election was held. As a result, Ishiba won the presidential election with 215 votes to Takaichi’s 194.

The victory of Ishiba is expected to be announced at the extraordinary Diet session scheduled to be convened on October 1, and the words “Ishiba shock” and “Ishiba ka yo” have been trending on social networking sites. On the other hand, there were also calls for clarification of the dark side of the LDP, such as the slush fund issue and the Unification Church issue, as well as calls for him to work for the reconstruction of the Noto region. In particular, there are high expectations for the LDP’s response to the slush fund issue.

In an interview in the June 1, 2006 issue of this magazine, Ishiba criticized the Ministry of Finance for falsifying settlement documents in the “Moritomo/Kakei” affair, which was being pursued in the Diet at the time, as follows.

The official documents belong to the people, not to the bureaucrats. They are documents that indicate to the people of that era and the people of the next era whether or not the administration was legally executed. If the Prime Minister’s Office says it is okay, it is okay, and no matter what the people think, it is okay as long as the Prime Minister’s Office approves. I feel that such people are increasing both in Kasumigaseki and within the LDP. I am not saying that all LDP politicians are like that, but I would like to say, which way are they looking at their work?”

He also expressed his ambitions for the presidential election to be held in the fall of that year as follows.

The prime ministerial presidency is the most strenuous job in Japan, and humanly speaking, I would be happier not to be elected. However, a person who has been elected to many cabinet positions and has served as a third party official should not say, “I will never become prime minister. I always ask myself whether I am capable of becoming prime minister.

And true to his words at that time, “If there is no vote (and no opposing candidate runs), the public will not know what people in the LDP are thinking,” he ran for president for the third time and was defeated in a one-on-one battle with Prime Minister Abe.

Mr. Ishiba finally won on his fifth attempt this time. This magazine has reported on him many times in the past. Here are some of them.

Year-End Party on the Eve of the Deployment of Japanese Troops to Iraq When He Was Director General of the Defense Agency] (Jan. 23, 2004 issue)

On December 25, 2003, when he was Director General of the Defense Agency (now the Ministry of Defense), Mr. Ishiba attended a year-end party for 12 people, including staff members of the Director General’s office, at a restaurant near the Defense Agency in Shinjuku Ward. Ishiba seemed to be in quite a groove as he sang Pink Lady in the restaurant’s karaoke room. However, it was the eve of the departure of the first group of Self-Defense Forces troops for deployment to Iraq.

When we asked Director Ishiba about this, he replied in writing , “December 25th was the day before the end of the Imperial Year, and the purpose of the event was to thank the staff for their hard work over the past year. （The venue was selected close by so that it could be used in case of an emergency.

The presidential election was a first-time challenge in which Mr. Abe was defeated in a landslide (October 12, 2012).

In the first round of voting, Ishiba had a large lead, 199-141, but was defeated, 108-89. The magazine’s article at the time also reported an episode from Ishiba’s kindergarten days.

If Shigeru Ishiba were prime minister, would he send the Self-Defense Forces to join a multinational force? (June 6, ’14 issue)

In the Abe Cabinet, which was aiming to exercise the right to collective self-defense, one of the most pointed statements was made by Ishiba, then secretary general of the LDP. In a TV program, he said , “Although it will not happen under the Abe Cabinet, when a UN force or a multinational force is eventually established, if public awareness changes, ‘Only Japan will not participate’ may also change. He was considerably ahead of Prime Minister Abe, who had said that he would only exercise the right of collective self-defense on a limited basis, such as in the event of an attack on a U.S. ship carrying Japanese nationals.

[Abe has been stripped of his duties and “left alone with Shinjiro”] (Oct. 10, ’14 issue)

After the cabinet reshuffle, Ishiba was offered the post of minister in charge of security affairs, but he refused. In the end, he was dismissed as secretary-general and accepted the post of minister in charge of regional development. However, the post was nothing more than decoration, with no budget, no personnel, and no dedicated room to do anything of substance. With no deputy minister to appoint, Ishiba began to hold weekly meetings with his direct subordinates, including Koizumi Shinjiro.

Ishiba had his moments in the spotlight and his moments in the spotlight, but he also had his moments of disappointment. What kind of Japan does he see now that he is on the verge of becoming prime minister?