Former Japanese defence minister Shigeru Ishiba today announced a long-shot bid to unseat Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as leader of the country’s ruling party in elections next month.
Abe is widely expected to win another term as head of the Liberal Democratic Party with Ishiba likely to be his only challenger.
Polls suggest the premier is supported by around 70 percent of LDP members and winning the vote would put him on the path to becoming Japan’s longest-serving prime minister ever.
Despite the odds, 61-year-old Ishiba said he had decided to challenge Abe to restore confidence in the government, which should be at the service of citizens.
