Shigeru Ishiba is set to take charge as Japan’s new prime minister on Tuesday, and the defense hawk has already signaled his support for a shift in security strategy to combat North Korean nuclear threats.

Ahead of his election as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last week, Ishiba penned an essay calling for nuclear sharing with the U.S. and other regional partners, a striking departure from his predecessor and nearly eight decades of Japanese policy shunning weapons of mass destruction.

The proposal feeds into his broader push to establish an