TOKYO, Sept 8 — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday expressed his intention to step down less than a year after taking office, in a surprise move coming a day before the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was due to decide whether to hold a snap presidential contest.
At a press conference, Ishiba cited his government reaching a milestone in tariff negotiations with the United States as one reason for his resignation.
He added that he is responsible for the LDP’s setback in the July House of Councillors election, Kyodo news reported.
The announcement came after Ishiba held talks on Saturday night with former prime minister Yoshihide Suga and farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi, both close allies.
They are believed to have urged him to avoid a split in the LDP.
Ishiba, who took office in October 2024, had voiced his willingness to fend off moves to hold a leadership contest by threatening to dissolve the House of Representatives and call a snap election.
Sources close to him said the stance triggered a backlash within the party.
Media opinion polls showed more than 50 per cent of respondents said his resignation was unnecessary. However, political experts said escalating calls within the LDP to hold an early presidential race forced him to step down.
The LDP had planned to collect signatures from lawmakers on Monday to determine whether to hold a presidential election ahead of the scheduled 2027 contest.
The plan was cancelled after Ishiba announced his intention to resign, a senior party official said.
Criticism of Ishiba grew in recent days, even among his allies, as he had vowed to remain in office. Suga, who served as prime minister for a year from September 2020, was reportedly concerned that a leadership contest could deepen divisions within the party.
Ishiba won the LDP presidency on his fifth attempt, but his ruling coalition lost its majority in the lower house in the October 2024 general election. On July 20 this year, the LDP and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, also lost their majority in the upper house.
The LDP’s election review report, released last Tuesday pointed to a political funds scandal as the main cause of its setback.
