Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Resigns After Election Defeats

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

TOKYO (Worthy News) – Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation Sunday after less than a year in office, following two crushing parliamentary defeats that cost his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) its coalition majority in both chambers.

Ishiba, 68, said he chose to step down after concluding tariff negotiations with the United States, which he described as a “national crisis.” The two nations signed a memorandum of understanding last week, alongside a U.S. executive order, lowering tariffs in exchange for Japanese investments.

“I have consistently said that one should not cling to office,” Ishiba told reporters, adding it was “the appropriate moment to step aside and pass the baton to the next leader.”

The LDP, which has ruled almost continuously since 1955, will now hold a leadership election to select Ishiba’s successor. His resignation deepens political uncertainty in one of the world’s most stable democracies and a key U.S. security ally.

Ishiba took office last October, promising to tackle rising prices and reform his scandal-hit party. However, the LDP soon lost its absolute majority in the lower house for the first time in 15 years, followed by a July upper house defeat that left the party without a majority in either chamber.

Amid growing internal pressure, Ishiba acknowledged he failed to restore public trust after a fundraising scandal and apologized to voters. “To the people of Japan, I deeply apologize for having to resign in this manner. I am truly sorry,” he said.

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