Ishiba

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation on Sunday due to pressure from his ruling party following recent election defeats, including the July upper house elections.

Ishiba’s departure will initiate a leadership contest within the Liberal Democratic Party. The LDP president’s path to premiership is not guaranteed, as the ruling coalition has lost its parliamentary majorities, opening a possibility for an opposition leader to become prime minister of Japan.

Ruling – Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

SANAE TAKAICHI, 64:

If chosen, Takaichi would be Japan’s first female prime minister.

A party veteran who has held a variety of roles, including economic security and internal affairs minister, she lost to Ishiba in the LDP leadership race in a run-off vote last year.

Known for conservative positions such as revising the pacifist postwar constitution, Takaichi is a regular visitor to the Yasukuni shrine to honour Japan’s war dead, viewed by some Asian neighbours as a symbol of past militarism.

Takaichi stands out for her vocal opposition to the Bank of Japan’s interest rate hikes and her calls to ramp up spending to boost the fragile economy.

SHINJIRO KOIZUMI, 44:

Heir to a political dynasty with a hand in governing Japan for more than a century, Koizumi would become its youngest prime minister in the modern era.

Koizumi ran in the last year’s party leadership race, presenting himself as a reformer able to restore public trust in a scandal-hit party.

Unlike Takaichi, who left government after her defeat in that contest, the Columbia University-educated Koizumi stayed close to Ishiba as his agriculture minister, overseeing a widely publicised attempt to curb soaring rice prices.

In his only other cabinet post, as environment minister, Koizumi called for Japan to get rid of nuclear reactors in 2019. He faced ridicule that year for remarks that climate policy needed to be “cool” and “sexy”. Little is known about his views on economic policy, including on the BOJ.

YOSHIMASA HAYASHI, 64:

Hayashi has been Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, a pivotal job that includes being top government spokesperson, since December 2023 under then-premier Fumio Kishida and Ishiba.

He has held a variety of portfolios, including defence, foreign and agriculture minister, often being tapped as a pinch-hitter following an incumbent’s resignation.

A fluent English speaker, Hayashi worked for trading house Mitsui & Co, studied at the Harvard Kennedy School and was a staffer for U.S. Representative Stephen Neal and Senator William Roth Jr.

Hayashi ran for the LDP leadership race in 2012 and 2024. He has repeatedly called for respecting the BOJ’s independence on monetary policy.

Opposition – Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan

YOSHIHIKO NODA, 68:

Former Prime Minister Noda is the leader of the biggest opposition group, the centre-left Constitutional Democrats.

As premier from 2011 to 2012, he worked with the LDP to push through legislation to double Japan’s consumption tax to 10% to help curb bulging public debt – earning a reputation as a fiscal hawk. The consumption tax was raised to 10% in 2019 for most items.

In the upper house election in July, Noda reversed course and called for a temporary cut to the consumption tax for food items. He has repeatedly called for phasing out the BOJ’s massive stimulus.

Opposition – Democratic Party for the People

YUICHIRO TAMAKI, 56:

Tamaki’s centre-right party is one of the fastest-growing in recent elections.

A former finance ministry bureaucrat, Tamaki co-founded the Democratic Party for the People in 2018 and advocates increasing people’s take-home pay by expanding tax exemptions and slashing the consumption tax.

He supports boosting defence capabilities, stricter regulations for foreigners’ land acquisition and constructing more nuclear power plants.

Tamaki has called on the BOJ to be cautious about phasing out stimulus, saying it should wait until real wages turn positive and help underpin consumption.

Based on a Reuters report

Sept. 7 (UPI) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation Sunday to avoid a split of his Liberal Democratic Party after recent election defeats.

“Today, I have decided resign from the position of President of Liberal Democratic Party,” Ishiba posted in a brief message on social media.

Ishiba, in a news conference carried by public broadcaster NHK, said he had decided to resign from the post now that negotiations with the administration of President Donald Trump over tariffs had ended.

“I thought a decisive division within the party could be created if the issue of an extraordinary presidential election continued to develop. That is not what I wanted,” Ishiba said in the news conference.

“I hope people will fully understand as I will continue fulfilling my duties during my remaining time in office.”

Ishiba instructed LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama to begin preparations for a leadership election in line with party rules, according to NHK.

The announcement followed a bruising summer election in which Ishiba’s LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the upper house of parliament.

Projections ahead of the vote had warned the coalition was at risk of falling short, and final results confirmed the parties captured only 47 seats, three shy of the 50 needed to maintain control.

The setback deepened the LDP’s political troubles after earlier losses in the lower house, fueling speculation about Ishiba’s hold on power. NHK noted the results left the ruling party struggling to pass legislation without opposition support, raising the prospect of gridlock.

Ishiba, a former defense minister who became prime minister in 2024, had campaigned on strengthening Japan’s security posture and managing rising costs of living. But his government’s popularity waned amid economic pressures, and party heavyweights pressed him to step aside to clear the way for new leadership.

The resignation was heralded as a smart move to bolster party unity by members of Ishiba’s own party while Saito Tetsuo, the chief representative of coalition partner Komeito, called the announcement regrettable.

“I am deeply disappointed by this announcement of resignation. However, I understand it as an unavoidable decision to bring an early end to the confusion within the Liberal Democratic Party,” Tetsuo said in a post on social media.

“In order to minimize the political vacuum, and also to realize the promised tax cuts and benefits, I call on the Liberal Democratic Party to respond swiftly.”

Noda Yoshihiko, the head of the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, also expressed concern about the country operating in a political vacuum while inflation grips Japan, NHK reported.

With Ishiba’s departure, the LDP will quickly move to initiate its formal leadership selection process. Under party rules, aspiring candidates must secure at least 20 endorsements from fellow LDP members in the Diet, the national legislature, to qualify.

The election will involve both LDP lawmakers and rank-and-file party members across Japan. If no single candidate achieves a majority in the first round, a run-off between the top two vote-getters will be held, this time giving equal weight to lawmakers and one vote per prefectural branch.

Once a new party president is chosen, the Diet will convene to endorse the next prime minister. Although the LDP has lost its majority in both chambers, its dominance in the lower house ensures that its nominee can secure the post.

Yet the absence of a decisive majority sets the stage for political instability, forcing the new leader to rely on cross-party cooperation to pass legislation or consider calling a general election for a fresh mandate.

Lee’s visit comes two days before his crucial first summit in Washington, DC with US President Donald Trump.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has hosted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Tokyo for a visit aimed at reaffirming security cooperation and showcasing friendly ties between the two East Asian neighbours facing common challenges from their mutual ally, the United States.

On his first official visit to Japan since taking office in June, Lee met Ishiba on Saturday at the premier’s residence to discuss bilateral ties, including closer security cooperation with the US under a trilateral pact signed by their predecessors.

“As the strategic environment surrounding both our countries grows increasingly severe, the importance of our relations, as well as trilateral cooperation with the United States, continues to grow,” Ishiba said in a joint announcement with Lee after their meeting.

The leaders agreed to resume shuttle diplomacy, expand exchanges such as working holiday programmes, and step up cooperation in defence, economic security, artificial intelligence and other areas. They also pledged closer coordination against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

大韓民国　李在明大統領をお迎えしました。就任後初の二国間訪問先に日本を選んでいただき、6月のカナダ以来の面会となります。新たな時代のニーズに沿った日韓関係を築いていきたいと思います。 pic.twitter.com/DVFAgKVJgA

— 石破茂 (@shigeruishiba) August 23, 2025

The snap election victory of the liberal Lee – following the impeachment of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol for declaring martial law – raised concerns in Tokyo that relations with Seoul could sour.

Lee has criticised past efforts to improve ties strained by lingering resentment over Japan’s colonial rule. The South Korean government last week expressed “deep disappointment and regret” after Japanese officials visited a shrine in Tokyo to Japan’s war dead that many Koreans see as a symbol of Japan’s wartime aggression.

In Tokyo, however, Lee reaffirmed support for closer relations with Japan as he did when he met Ishiba for the first time in June on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada.

Lee’s decision to visit Tokyo before Washington has been well received by Japanese officials, who see it as a sign Lee is placing great importance on relations between the two neighbours.

For Ishiba, who faces pressure from right-wing rivals within his governing party to resign over its July election loss, Lee’s visit and a successful summit could shore up his support.

Despite their differences, the two US allies rely heavily on Washington to counter China’s growing regional influence. Together, they host about 80,000 US soldiers, dozens of US warships and hundreds of military aircraft.

Japan and South Korea also share common ground on trade, with both agreeing to 15 percent tariffs on US imports of their goods after Trump had threatened steeper duties.

We “agreed that unwavering cooperation between South Korea, the US and Japan is paramount in the rapidly changing international situation, and decided to create a virtuous cycle in which the development of South Korea-Japan relations leads to stronger cooperation”, Lee said alongside Ishiba.

Lee’s visit comes two days before his crucial first summit in Washington with US President Donald Trump. The two men are expected to discuss security concerns, including China, North Korea, and Seoul’s financial contribution for US forces stationed in South Korea – something the US leader has repeatedly pressed it to increase.

Aug. 15 (UPI) — In an address at the National Memorial Ceremony for the War Dead in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called for remorse over Japan’s actions during World War II.

“Eighty years have now passed since the war ended,” Ishiba said in a speech Friday that Japanese prime ministers deliver each year at the memorial. “Today, generations with no firsthand experience of war make up the great majority. We must never again repeat the horrors of war.”

“We must never again lose our way,” he added. “We must now take deeply into our hearts once again our remorse and also the lessons learned from that war.”

His predecessors Shinzo Abe, Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida hadn’t mentioned the word “remorse” when they delivered the prime minister’s address annually since Abe first left out the word from his speech in 2013.

A tradition of including a recommendation of remorse had started with former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who in 1995, during the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, said in his address that he had “feelings of deep remorse” concerning Japanese past bellicosity.

He further offered an apology for Japan’s past “colonial rule and aggression.”

Murayama’s 1995 address has since been viewed as an impactful speech known as “The Murayama Statement.” Successive prime ministers had continued to mention remorse until Abe’s 2013 presentation.

Japanese Emperor Naruhito also spoke during the ceremony Friday, and he too included the word and a need for repentance.

“Looking back on the long period of post-war peace, reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never again be repeated,” he said.

TOKYO — Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday vowed to remain in power to oversee the implementation of a new Japan-U.S. tariff agreement, despite media speculation and growing calls for him to resign after a historic defeat of his governing party.

Ishiba met with heavyweights from his Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, and former Prime Ministers Taro Aso, Fumio Kishida and Yoshihide Suga at party headquarters.

He told reporters afterward that they didn’t discuss his resignation or a new party leadership contest, but only the election results, voters’ dissatisfaction and the urgent need to avoid party discord.

Despite his business-as-usual demeanor, Ishiba is under increasing pressure to bow out after the LDP and junior coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in Sunday’s election in the 248-member upper house, the smaller and less powerful of Japan’s two-chamber parliament, shaking his grip on power.

It came after a loss in the more powerful lower house in October, and so his coalition now lacks a majority in both houses of parliament, making it even more difficult for his government to pass policies and worsening Japan’s political instability.

Ishiba says he intends to stay on to tackle pressing challenges, including tariff talks with the U.S., so as not to create a political vacuum despite calls from inside and outside his party for a quick resignation.

Ishiba “keeps saying he is staying on. What was the public’s verdict in the election all about?” said Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the surging Democratic Party for the People, or DPP.

At the LDP, a group of younger lawmakers led by Yasutaka Nakasone started a petition drive seeking Ishiba’s early resignation and renewal of party leadership.

“We all have a sense of crisis and think the election results were ultimatum from the voters,” he said.

Japanese media reported that Ishiba is expected to soon announce plans to step down in August.

The conservative Yomiuri newspaper said in an extra edition on Wednesday that Ishiba had decided to announce his resignation by the end of July after receiving a detailed report from his chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, on the impact of the U.S. tariffs on the Japanese economy, paving the way for a new party leader.

Ishiba denied the report and said that he wants to focus on the U.S. trade deal, which covers more than 4,000 goods affecting many Japanese producers and industries. He welcomed the new agreement, which places tariffs at 15% on Japanese cars and other goods imported into the U.S. from Japan, down from the initial 25%.

Still, local media are already speculating about possible successors. Among them are ultraconservative former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, who lost to Ishiba in September. Another conservative ex-minister, Takayuki Kobayashi, and Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former popular Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, are also seen as potential challengers.

In Sunday’s election, voters frustrated with price increases exceeding the pace of wage hikes, especially younger people who have long felt ignored by the ruling government’s focus on senior voters, rapidly turned to the emerging conservative DPP and right-wing populist Sanseito party.

None of the opposition parties have shown interest in forming a full-fledged alliance with the governing coalition, but they have said they are open to cooperating on policy.

People expressed mixed reaction to Ishiba, as his days seem to be numbered.

Kentaro Nakamura, 53, said that he thought it’s time for Ishiba to go, because he lacked consistency and did poorly in the election.

“The (election) result was so bad and I thought it would not be appropriate for him to stay on,” Nakamura said. “I thought it was just a matter of time.”

But Isamu Kawana, a Tokyo resident in his 70s, was more sympathetic and said if it wasn’t Ishiba who was elected prime minister last year, the result would have been the same.

“I think he got the short end of the stick,” Kawana said.

Yamaguchi writes for the Associated Press. Reeno Hashimoto contributed to this report.