New LDP Leader Ishiba Faces Diplomatic Challenge over U.S. Ties

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)--Shigeru Ishiba, newly elected president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party who is all but certain to become prime minister, may face tensions with the United States over his proposal for reviewing the bilateral status of forces agreement.

While Ishiba plans to keep the Japan-U.S. alliance at the heart of his country's foreign policies, some measures he proposed during the LDP leadership race may ruffle Washington's feathers. He also needs to rebuild Japan's ties with China, which have been at a standstill.

Japan and the United States have worked together to deal with China's increasingly hegemonic activities, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear and missile development.

Ishiba plans to strengthen the alliance, but he must brace for the possibility of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had taken an "America First" isolationist approach to policy, returning to the White House after the U.S. presidential election in November.

In a press conference Friday, Ishiba expressed his willingness to carry out measures he proposed in the LDP election, such as reviewing the Japan-U.S. status of forces agreement and establishing an Asian version of NATO.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]