Overview

• Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a joint LDP Diet meeting he would decide his future "at the appropriate time," leaving his intentions unclear.
• Taro Aso said at his faction’s Yokohama gathering he will sign and submit a demand to move up the presidential election, with several vice ministers and parliamentary secretaries also backing an early vote.
• The LDP’s Hokkaido federation formally approved supporting an earlier contest and plans to submit its position to party election managers on September 4.
• Reporting outlines that an early election requires backing from a majority of 342 eligible party voters (172 signatures), with cohort meetings expanding and a September 8 intention check expected.
• Even as internal pressure builds, Ishiba dined with Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito and agreed to advance economic measures on high prices, while opposition parties warned of a political vacuum and urged swift resolution.