Japan's new PM promises to bring continuity and changes to dealings with U.S.

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Japan's ruling party has elected a new leader. Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba will be sworn in next week to lead the country. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports he promises continuity but also striking changes to Japan's dealings with the United States.

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: A record field of nine candidates vied to become president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP. That boiled down to a runoff between 67-year-old Ishiba and the hawkish female economic security minister, Sanae Takaichi. This was Ishiba's fifth bid to lead Japan. Veteran political journalist Hiroshi Izumi has known Ishiba for more than four decades. He says Ishiba is serious and bookish, but he also knows how to have fun.

HIROSHI IZUMI: (Through interpreter) To give you an example, he's the kind of guy who pours a bottle of whiskey straight into his glass, knocks it back, then just keeps on debating, singing or dancing at the karaoke bar.

KUHN: Ishiba has pledged to continue some of outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's policies but not all. At a post-election press conference, Ishiba said he wants to make the alliance with the U.S. more equal by, for example, sending more personnel from Japan's military, known as the Self-Defense Forces, to the U.S.

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SHIGERU ISHIBA: (Speaking Japanese).

KUHN: "I believe that establishing a training base for the Self-Defense Forces in the United States would be extremely effective," he said. "The ground and air Self-Defense Forces can't train in Japan in a way that demonstrates their full capabilities."

Ishiba also envisions a collective security agreement in Asia - something like NATO. Washington may not be crazy about either of these ideas, but Izumi says Ishiba won't raise them right off the bat.

IZUMI: (Through interpreter) In today's press conference, he said that this is a very long-term issue that will change the Japan-U.S. relationship in terms of security and defense. He has the idea to make the two sites equal. But for now, the question is how to improve the alliance operationally.

KUHN: Izumi notes that Sanae Takaichi, whom Ishiba defeated, pledged to visit Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, including convicted World War II war criminals. That would likely enrage Japan's neighbors, especially China and the two Koreas. So Izumi says, at least the U.S. won't have to worry about that next week, when Japan's Parliament votes Ishiba in as prime minister.

Anthony Kuhn, NPR News.

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