Japan’s prime minister Shigeru Ishiba resigns

Japan’s prime minister Shigeru Ishiba has announced he will step down following growing calls from his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July’s parliamentary election.

Mr Ishiba, who took office in October, had resisted demands from mostly right-wing opponents within his own party for more than a month, saying such a step would cause a political vacuum when Japan faced key challenges in and outside the country.

The resignation came one day before his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was to decide whether to hold an early leadership election, a virtual no-confidence motion against him if approved.

Mr Ishiba said during a televised press conference that he would start a process to hold a party leadership vote to choose his replacement and that there was no need for Monday’s decision.

If the prime minister had stayed on, he would have inevitably struggled to manage his divided party and minority government.

Mr Ishiba’s ruling coalition failed to secure a majority in the 248-seat upper house in a crucial parliamentary election in July, further shaking the stability of his government.

The loss added to an earlier election defeat in the lower house, where the party-led coalition had also lost a majority.

His decision came after his meeting on Saturday with agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his perceived mentor, former prime minister Yoshihide Suga, who apparently suggested Mr Ishiba’s resignation ahead of Monday’s vote.

He had previously insisted on staying, stressing the need to avoid a political vacuum at a time when Japan faced big challenges, including US tariffs and their impact on the economy, rising prices, rice policy reforms and growing tension in the region.

Since the LDP’s adoption last week of its review of the election loss, which called for “a complete overhaul” of the party, requests for an early leadership vote or for Mr Ishiba’s resignation before Monday’s results had gained traction.

With Mr Ishiba stepping down as party leader, the LDP is expected to set a date for its party presidential election, likely to be held in early October.