With an election looming, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has good reason to moderate his stance on divisive national security proposals. But defence is still very much the big picture, says political scientist Yasuo Takao. PERTH: Just days after taking office, Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba already appears to be on the defensive. In his first policy speech to parliament on Oct 4, and certainly with an eye on the snap election on Oct 27 , there was no explicit mention of the "