Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to Resign After Election Defeat Pressure

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided to step down amid mounting pressure from within his party to take responsibility for a major electoral defeat in July, national broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday.

Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner lost their majority in the upper house of parliament in the July elections, following a similar loss in the lower house last year. Despite vowing to stay in office to avoid political deadlock, Ishiba faced growing calls to resign from senior party members and lawmakers.

His resignation comes just a day before the LDP was set to decide on holding an early leadership election — widely seen as a no-confidence vote against his leadership.

According to Japanese media reports, Ishiba made the decision to prevent a deeper split in the party. The final trigger reportedly came after senior LDP figures, including former prime ministers and key ministers, urged him to step down voluntarily.

Ishiba became Prime Minister in October last year, but his short tenure was marked by falling support and economic challenges, including rising living costs and tensions over international trade.

The LDP is expected to announce details of its next leadership vote soon.

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