Bruised feelings and bad blood: The LDP members who are a threat to Ishiba

Google’s Japanese language search engine is getting quite a workout as a nation of 125 million people tries to get up to speed on where its iconoclastic new prime minister stands on policy matters.

Not that Prime Minister

Shigeru Ishiba

seems to know either at this point. Heads are spinning as Mr Ishiba keeps swerving from previously held positions on a dizzying array of issues – from interest rates to taxes to gender parity to nuclear power to when it’s legitimate to call an election.