Overview

• Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on Sept. 7 that he will step down as Liberal Democratic Party president and will not run in the interim leadership contest.
• He framed the timing as taking responsibility for recent electoral defeats and acting after a milestone in U.S. tariff negotiations, saying he sought to avert a party split.
• The LDP plans to hold an accelerated interim vote to select a new leader after internal moves to bring forward the contest gathered momentum.
• Ishiba suggested advice from Deputy President Yoshihide Suga influenced his decision, following talks that underscored concerns about deepening intra‑party divisions.
• Separately, a man in his 40s was struck by a Meitetsu rapid train at Nagoya Station around 8:15 a.m. on Sept. 7 and is in critical condition, with service suspended on two segments for about 70 minutes before resuming.