Ishiba squeezed by opposition, LDP rivals as new session nears

key takeaways

• The ruling and opposition parties have begun skirmishing ahead of the ordinary Diet session.
• Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru starts the year having to appeal to opposition parties – whose votes he needs to pass a budget – while eyeing increasingly vocal rivals within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
• These dynamics could bolster Ishiba’s position, if only because the opposition would prefer a weaker LDP leader – and Ishiba’s intra-party rivals may be unwilling to risk a challenge ahead of the upper house elections.