Japan's new ruling party chief Shigeru Ishiba may see an initial bump in public support following Friday's presidential election victory, but he does not have the luxury of basking in the glow with a party revamp at stake after a slush fund scandal. A moment of truth awaits the 67-year-old leader, with two pressing issues: when to call a general election to seek a public mandate and whether he can stitch together a party that was split over a record nine candidates in the leadership election -- a necessary step for the new chief to remain in power. The prevailing view in political circles is that the new chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, who is set to be formally elected prime minister on Tuesday, may dissolve the powerful House of Representatives for an election to be held on Oct.
27 or Nov. 10. The reinstatement of Yoshihiko Noda, an eloquent former prime minister as head of Japan's main opposition party, is threatening to cut into LDP support among moderate conservatives, due to his anticipated push to shift the left-leaning Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan toward the center, political experts said.
The new premier "will be tempted to call an election while the opposition bloc is fractured and unprepared. The LDP can give the impression of renewal with a fresh public face. The sooner, the better is the natural line of thinking," said Masahiro Iwasaki, a professor at Nihon University.
"There is a question mark, however, as to whether the new LDP chief can ensur.
