It is in terms of his views on historical issues between Japan and its neighbours that Ishiba is at his most radical. Unlike Abe and his acolytes, Ishiba has been on record as stating that Japan’s failure to admit historical responsibility for its conduct during the war is at the root of most present disputes with South Korea and China, while sup

while US commitments to defend the Japanese mainland may be clear, its studied silence on the Senkakus and other outlying islands implies that it may not intervene in a struggle over them, thus necessitating an indigenous military capability all the way up to and including a nuclear response. As a result, Ishiba, akin to Abe, claims that Japan must

On the topic of relations with the United States, Ishiba again shows a strange mixture of nuance and outlandishness. While appreciating the role played by the US military in the defence of Japan, he is open in his understanding that Japan must adopt an independent foreign policy that does not blindly follow Washington’s dictates. He offers two pr