Japan’s Ishiba, which leads a minority government, must find political courage to survive and prosper

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, hostage to the whims and demands of the opposition as he presides over a minority governmentbegan and ended his second policy speech to Parliament by quoting a man who was Prime Minister for just 65 days.

“We must make a habit of openly exchanging opinions on national issues and, while clarifying the position of each party, join forces to keep pace with the progress of the world,” Ishiba said on November 29, referring to a sentence from a speech by Mr. Tanzan Ishibashi on February 4, 1957 – also the day on which Mr. Ishiba was born.