TOKYO, July 23. /TASS/. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation appears inevitable following his Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) defeat in the upper house elections, Kyodo reported, citing several senior party officials.
Calls for Ishiba to resign are reportedly coming from within the LDP, the government, and regional party branches. According to Kyodo, he is expected to decide on his political future in August. The Mainichi Shimbun earlier reported that Ishiba had informed close associates of his intention to step down by the end of that month. The Jiji Press also cited a senior LDP official who confirmed the prime minister would resign in August.
In the July 20 elections, the ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito lost its majority in the upper house of parliament. This marks Ishiba’s second major electoral defeat in less than a year. Last fall, the coalition also lost its majority in the more powerful lower house. Although the parties managed to form a minority government by capitalizing on opposition divisions, pressure on Ishiba to resign has intensified since then.
If Ishiba resigns in July, a new prime minister would be elected during an extraordinary parliamentary session scheduled for August. However, as Mainichi notes, it is not guaranteed that the new LDP president would be automatically appointed prime minister. In light of this, Ishiba is reportedly considering postponing his resignation to allow time for consultations with opposition parties.
Following the release of the upper house election results, Ishiba said he intended to remain in office, pointing to ongoing negotiations with the United States as a key reason. After US President Donald Trump announced a bilateral deal on Wednesday morning, Ishiba stated he would first review a report from Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s lead negotiator, before making any further decisions about his future.