Do we like Shigeru Ishiba?
Our score: 7 out of 10. Nothing harmful in his own words and a record of owning up on history, held back by timid action on LGBTQ+ rights and the voucher row.
Ishiba is a veteran of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party who ended up prime minister, then lost the job in 2025. He announced his resignation on 7 September 2025, after his coalition lost its majority in both houses of parliament. Voters were angry about the cost of living, and he said he wanted to “pass the baton to the next generation.”
The messiest chapter was the gift-voucher row in March 2025. An aide delivered 100,000 yen department-store vouchers to 15 first-term LDP lawmakers before a private dinner with him. Opposition MPs and rivals in his own party called it excessive and said it showed he was “out of touch.” Ishiba admitted giving them and apologised for causing concern, but denied breaking the political funds law and said he wouldn't resign.
On the harm check, nothing nasty of his own turned up. In a 2024 radio interview he called the lack of marriage rights a “disadvantage” for same-sex couples that needs “relief.” On an advocacy groups' questionnaire he didn't tick approve or oppose, choosing “other” and talking up more debate within the party. That's sympathetic but cautious, and reporting at the time suggested he might follow the debate-without-legislation path of his predecessor.
On history he stands out from many in his party. A Korea Times profile noted he has expressed regret for Japan's 1910-45 rule over Korea, which it called rare among LDP members. In a 2017 interview with South Korean media, he said Japan should keep apologising over the wartime sex slavery issue until Seoul accepts the apologies.
Since leaving office he has kept speaking up. In October 2025 he called for the quick restoration of a deleted section of a 1940 parliamentary record containing an anti-military speech, saying that doing so in the war's 80th anniversary year “would be meaningful.” He also said his own party's cautious stance “is questionable.” I couldn't open any reliable 2026 report to add to that, so that's where the record stops.
The good stuff is mostly about integrity on history and a willingness to say sorry, not charity work, and I found no verified charity or kind acts to point to. No court cases or allegations against him turned up in what I could read. The record is thin on action for LGBTQ+ people, but also thin on any harm.