Overview

• Shigeru Ishiba declared he would not step down following an LDP joint plenary meeting convened in response to recent electoral setbacks.
• The party’s election committee is set to poll lawmakers and all 47 prefectural chapters on staging an off-schedule leadership contest ahead of its 2027 cycle.
• Under LDP rules, a mid-term leadership vote can proceed if backed by a majority of Diet members and local chapter executives, with support-gathering slated to begin in late August.
• Ishiba rejected calls for a cabinet reshuffle and pledged to prioritize policy work, particularly overseeing the implementation of the U.S.-Japan tariff reduction agreement.
• After consecutive losses in lower and upper house polls, the LDP now leads a rare minority government under mounting pressure to restore credibility after funding scandals.