Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba kicked off the first day of his minority government on Tuesday — a day after receiving parliament’s blessing in a closely watched vote for the post of prime minister — designating political reform as one of his key priorities.

In the coming weeks, the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition’s failure to attain a majority in last month's Lower House election will likely force Ishiba and his administration to make significant concessions to the opposition camp on economic and political reform policies.

Ishiba, however, seems determined to soldier on.