Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Resigns After Election Defeat

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned on Sunday, bowing to mounting pressure from within his own Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) after the ruling coalition suffered back-to-back election setbacks.

Ishiba, who assumed office in October last year, had faced growing calls to step down ever since the LDP-led coalition lost its majority in the upper house during the July parliamentary elections, a historic defeat that undermined the stability of his government. This came on the heels of an earlier loss in the lower house, where the coalition also failed to secure control.

According to reports, senior LDP members had urged Ishiba to accept responsibility and make way for fresh leadership. While Ishiba resisted for over a month, arguing that his resignation would create a “political vacuum,” the internal pressure became insurmountable.

During his tenure, Ishiba struggled to navigate Japan’s economic challenges, citing U.S.- imposed tariffs, rising consumer prices, contentious rice policy reforms, and escalating regional tensions as key obstacles.

His decision to step aside comes just a day before the LDP was set to decide whether to hold an early leadership election, a move that would have amounted to a de facto no-confidence vote against him.

With Ishiba’s resignation, Japan now faces a period of political uncertainty as the ruling party scrambles to choose a new leader capable of stabilizing the government and restoring public confidence.

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