Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba intends to resign, after disappointing results for his party during the national elections last year and during the elections for the Hogerhuis last July. International press agencies report this based on initiates and Japanese media. With this, Ishiba seems to want to keep the honor to itself: on Monday his party members would vote on whether or not to keep new leadership elections.
Omroep NHK reported That Ishiba, who has only been prime minister since October 2024, wants to prevent division within his party. In particular, right-wing conservative party members have asked for his departure since the July elections, in order to take responsibility for the losses of the party.
His center -right party (the Liberal Democratic Party) was almost continuously in power since its foundation in 1955. Under Ishiba’s leadership, the party lost its majority for the first time in both rooms of parliament.
Ishiba first wanted to stay on, with the argument, among other things, that the Japanese economy is in a difficult period due to American import rates and rising prices, and that a management vacuum could make that worse. Reuters news agency reports that a change of power could possibly also have a positive effect on the economy, for example if he is replaced by the party member whom he narrowly won, Sanae Takaichi, who advocates a more flexible tax policy and lower interest rates.
Ishiba will give a press conference later today.
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