Japanese Prime Minister Announces Resignation

NHK television reported that Ishiba wanted to avoid divisions within the party, while the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said the prime minister could no longer resist growing calls for his resignation.

At a press conference held this Sunday, Ishiba announced that he had ordered his political party, the Liberal Democratic Party, to hold an election to succeed him, adding that he would continue to serve until his successor was elected, Reuters reports .

Ishiba, who took office in October, had been resisting demands from his opponents, mostly from the right and from within his own party, for over a month. Instead, he focused on negotiating a trade agreement with the United States due to the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, which have shaken the Japanese auto industry.

"With Japan signing the trade agreement and the president signing the executive order, we have overcome a significant hurdle," Ishiba said this morning, his voice breaking. "I would like to pass the torch to the next generation," he declared.

The Japanese prime minister's decision comes a day before his Liberal Democratic Party is scheduled to decide whether to hold a snap leadership election if a motion of no confidence against Ishiba is passed.

In July, Ishiba's coalition government failed to secure a majority in the upper house of parliament, with the Liberal Democratic Party and its partner Komeito securing only 46 of their target 50 seats, to add to their existing 75 seats.

These elections were seen as a test for the prime minister, who was governing in a minority after having lost control of the lower house of parliament, the House of Representatives, in the early general elections of October 2024.

Public discontent with the rising cost of living, which wage increases failed to address, was at the heart of the campaign, with Ishiba promising to distribute 20,000 yen (about 120 euros) to each resident.