Japan’s New Leader Needs to Be Bold
Party stalwart Fumio Kishida may have seemed like a safe choice for prime minister, but to win a true mandate from voters, he needs to offer a more ambitious vision.
Mr. Status Quo.
Photographer: Toru Hanai — Pool/Getty Images
Fumio Kishida won his new job as Japan’s prime minister in large part because ruling-party insiders saw him as the safe choice. To have any chance of succeeding, he’ll have to surprise them.
Kishida owes his position to the Liberal Democratic Party grandees who installed him as party leader over a more popular rival. He’s moving cautiously ahead of parliamentary elections due later this month. He’s been circumspect about his economic plans, offering some more fiscal stimulus and vague promises to boost wages and redistribute income. This restraint might be what his supporters expect, but it isn’t what the country needs.