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Japan PM Shigeru Ishiba denies resignation reports after electoral drubbing
Shigeru Ishiba claims media reports of his impending resignation are ‘completely unfounded’, amid suggestions he will quit next month
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Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied on Wednesday that he planned to quit, following earlier reports that he intended to step down in the wake of a punishing upper house election defeat.
The embattled 68-year-old leader insisted that media reports claiming he had already decided to quit were “completely unfounded”.
Ishiba chose to remain in office immediately after Sunday’s electoral setback to avert political instability amid trade talks with the United States, according to a senior source close to the prime minister cited by Reuters who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.
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On Tuesday, Ishiba and US President Donald Trump announced the completion of a trade pact lowering tariffs on Japanese automobile imports and sparing Tokyo from the threat of further American levies on other goods.
Reports in Japanese media on Wednesday suggested that Ishiba would formally announce his resignation next month. If confirmed, this would see him exit his post less than a year after taking office and trigger a leadership contest within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
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Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denies reported resignation plans after electoral defeat
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denies reported resignation plans after electoral defeat
His potential departure comes as the LDP faces surging challenges from emergent political forces, particularly on the right. Chief among them is the far-right Sanseito party, which stormed to 14 seats in the 248-member upper house, up from just one, buoyed by a “Japanese First” platform and promises to curb immigration, cut taxes and offer relief to families squeezed by rising prices.
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