World
Japan's soon-to-be prime minister faces big challenge as he tries to move past ruling party scandals
TOKYO (AP) — The person chosen Friday to lead Japan’s governing party, and become prime minister next week, is a veteran politician with deep policy experience, a taste for curry and anime — and big challenges ahead of him as he tries to unite a fractious party and hold off an opposition eager to capitalize on recent corruption scandals.
Shigeru Ishiba has long been popular with voters but has often struggled to win over his conservative fellow Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers.
A vocal critic of the hawkish politics of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he was long seen as a troublesome outsider by some party members. That makes Friday’s victory a huge comeback for Ishiba. It could also signal a break from years of Abe’s influence over the party, even after the former prime minister’s assassination.
Some analysts believe that Ishiba was chosen as much for his image as a centrist who can counter challenges by the more liberal main opposition party as for his policy views.
The 67-year-old former banker was running in the party leadership race for a fifth time and had said this was going to be his “final battle.”
Ishiba was first elected to parliament in 1986, after being influenced by the late Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, who was popular with the public. He has served as defense minister, agriculture minister and in other key Cabinet posts, and as the LDP secretary general under Abe.
His party will now look for him to use his experience, stability and expertise to beat back the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which recently chose as its new leader former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, a veteran known for his inspiring speeches.
University of Tokyo politics professor Yu Uchiyama said political parties tend to make centrist shifts to win elections, and Ishiba could do well in an upcoming parliamentary face-off with the opposition leader.
Considered a defense policy expert, Ishiba has proposed an Asian version of the NATO military alliance and a more equal and mutual Japan-U.S. security alliance, including having Japanese Self Defense Force bases in the United States.
Ishiba is a supporter of Taiwan’ s democracy. He calls for the establishment of a disaster management agency in one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
Ishiba has vowed to push for more diversity and gender equality. He supports a revision to a 19th century civil code that requires married couples to choose one of their surnames. That has caused most women to adopt their husband’s surname. Moves to change the code have stalled for decades because of LDP opposition.
At a recent speech in Tokyo, Ishiba said Japanese women are among the shortest sleepers in the world because of their heavy responsibilities both at work and home. He said most husbands, including himself, hardly help with childrearing and homemaking.
Ishiba also supports legalizing same-sex marriage.
Ishiba is known as a policy “otaku,” or nerd, especially in security and defense issues. He likes anime, building model warships and listening to 1970s and ‘80s Japanese pop songs. He says his favorite food is curried rice.
new video loaded: Moscow Tanker Blast Most Likely Russian Missile, Video Shows
By James McManagan, Paul Sonne, Malachy Browne and Jackeline Luna
June 19, 2026
World
Man charged with attempted murder, released after allegedly forcing toddler into crocodile enclosure at zoo
Man FORCES child into crocodile enclosure
A British man has been arrested after allegedly forcing a 3-year-old boy into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo. The child suffered critical injuries, and authorities say the suspect did not know the boy as the investigation continues.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A man was released from custody on Friday after he was charged with attempted murder for allegedly forcing a 3-year-old boy into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo.
Cambridgeshire police said that the man, who remains unidentified, wasn’t fit to be interviewed.
The boy suffered critical injuries in the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a farm and zoo in Huntingdon, England, north of London.
The 30-year-old man will remain on bail until Sept. 30, pending further inquiries.
GEORGIA MOM’S WALMART TRIP DEVOLVES INTO ‘TUG-OF-WARRING’ IN DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO SAVE HER SON
A crocodile rests inside an enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a farm and zoo in Old Hurst, Cambridgeshire, Britain, on April 14, 2026. (Dorota Dee Trajdos/Reuters)
“The man, who is not known to the victim, was assessed as not being fit for interview,” police said in a statement.
The boy is in stable condition, after reportedly suffering a broken arm and pelvis.
He was saved from the crocodile by Tracey Johnson, the wife of the zoo’s owner.
MOTHER JUMPS INTO WATER TO SAVE 4-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WHO FELL BETWEEN CRUISE SHIP AND DOCK
“I know Tracey very well and she’s a lovely lady and it’s nothing more than I’d expect from her,” a local told BBC News. “She’d always put her own life at risk to save someone else. She’s an extraordinary lady and very brave.
The villager added that Johnson put herself in “immense danger” during the rescue.
The owners said their tropical house would remain closed until further notice.
Crocodiles rest inside an enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst farm and zoo in Old Hurst, Cambridgeshire, Britain, on April 14, 2026. (Dorota Dee Trajdos/Reuters)
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today,” the owners wrote on social media.
Johnsons of Old Hurst is a farm and zoo north of London in Huntingdon, England. (Google Maps)
Huntingdonshire district councillor Charlotte Lowe said she couldn’t “fathom how it’s happened because they’ve got all the right protection and safety equipment, for want of a better word, in there,” The Guardian reported.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Cambridgeshire Constabulary for comment.
Published on
US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his comments on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, saying she asked him “over and over” for a photo when the pair met at the G7 summit in France earlier this week.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Following the summit, Trump told an Italian journalist that he “felt sorry for Meloni” after she “begged me to take a picture with her”.
Meloni hit back in a video posted to social media, branding Trump’s claims as “completely made up” and insisting that neither she nor Italy begs anyone for anything.
The once close pair’s relationship has grown increasingly fractious in recent months, particularly since Rome refused to provide the US support for its operations in Iran and after Meloni defended Pope Leo XIV, who was criticised by the Trump administration over his remarks on the war and the US’s immigration policies.
“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on Saturday. “She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon”.
“Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her “numbers up.” No thanks!!!” Trump added.
-
Detroit, MI16 minutes agoTigers top Chicago White Sox 4-1; Detroit pitcher Troy Melton allows 1 hit in 6 innings
-
San Francisco, CA28 minutes agoMLB Rumors: Latest Intel on Potential Matt Chapman Trade for San Francisco Giants
-
Dallas, TX30 minutes agoDallas’ Fair Park to Get $2.5M Boost From McKesson – Dallas Weekly
-
Miami, FL36 minutes agoAir quality alert in effect in Miami-Dade and Broward counties: National Weather Service
-
Boston, MA43 minutes agoBoston Signs Big Blueliner Rylind MacKinnon To One-Year Extension
-
Denver, CO46 minutes agoFire destroys home under construction in northwest Denver
-
Seattle, WA51 minutes agoWe can stop pretending that a suburban stadium would be better for soccer in Seattle
-
San Diego, CA58 minutes agoNASCAR Cup San Diego starting lineup: Shane van Gisbergen rockets to pole
