Current Affairs: Passage of the Day - 1 October 2024 | Current Affairs & General Knowledge - CLAT PDF Download

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Banker-turned-politician Shigeru Ishiba has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Japan. He will succeed former PM Fumio Kishida as the chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
This was Ishiba’s fifth attempt at leading the LDP in his 38-year-long political career.
The 67-year-old began his election campaign at Shinto shrine in rural Tottori prefecture, from where he was elected to the House of Representatives at the start of his political career in 1986. Here’s a look at who the new PM of Japan is.
Political Career
Born to a politician father in Tottori, Ishiba moved to Tokyo to study law at Keio University, after finishing school. He worked at the Mitsui Bank, only to join politics in 1983, and went on to became one of the youngest members to be elected to the House of Representatives from Tottori prefecture in 1986.
The former defense minister has held various other positions, including the minister in charge of the Council on Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan and as senior state secretary for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
In 1993, Ishiba defected from the LDP to join the Japan Renewal Party, only to return to the LDP three years later in 1996.
Rivalries and friction from party members
Ishiba has been seen as a rebel by many in the LDP because of his critical stance on various policies of party leaders. He also contested against former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2012.
The newly elected premier of Japan is known to have been sidelined during Kishida’s government because of his differing and sometimes opposing views on the former PM’s policies, including the increased use of nuclear weapons and disallowing couples to use separate surnames.
Shigeru Ishiba is an advocate of an Asian version of NATO to control and deter China in the region, while also demanding for Japan’s more balanced and equal relationship with the United States.
He suggested a joint management of US bases in Japan and having Japanese Self Defense Force bases in the United States.
[Excerpt from Indian Express "Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan" Dated 01/10/24]

Q1: Who did Shigeru Ishiba replace as the leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)?
(a) Shinzo Abe
(b) Yoshihide Suga
(c) Fumio Kishida
(d) Taro Aso

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Q2: How many candidates competed for the leadership of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party in the election where Ishiba won?
(a) 3
(b) 5
(c) 7
(d) 9

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Q3: Who did Ishiba defeat in the run-off to win the leadership of the LDP?
(a) Taro Kono
(b) Sanae Takaichi
(c) Yoshihide Suga
(d) Shinzo Abe

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Q4: What is one of the key progressive ideas that Shigeru Ishiba supports, distinguishing him from conservative members of the LDP?
(a) Increasing defense spending
(b) Strengthening ties with the US
(c) Allowing female emperors
(d) Lowering taxes on corporations

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Q5: What position did Shigeru Ishiba previously hold in the Japanese government?
(a) Foreign Minister
(b) Minister for Regional Revitalization
(c) Chief Cabinet Secretary
(d) Minister of Finance

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