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yesterday

Shigeru Ishiba Resigns as Japan’s Prime Minister, Paving Way for LDP Contest

He says he is stepping down to avert a party split after election losses stripped the coalition of majorities in both chambers.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation on Sunday.
A general view shows the lower house of the parliament as Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech in Tokyo, Japan, November 29, 2024. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File photo
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a press conference at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters on July 21, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a press conference at the headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Tokyo on July 21, 2025. PHILIP FONG/Pool via REUTERS/File photo

Overview

  • LDP lawmakers are set to vote Monday on whether to hold an extraordinary leadership election widely viewed as a no-confidence test.
  • Ishiba exits less than a year after taking office in October 2024 following a string of defeats capped by July’s Upper House setback.
  • Political uncertainty has rattled markets, with the yen and Japanese government bonds selling off and the 30-year JGB yield hitting a record high last week.
  • Internal pressure mounted as senior figures, including party No. 2 Hiroshi Moriyama, offered to resign and ministers and former prime ministers urged Ishiba to go.
  • A key late-term move was finalising a U.S.-Japan deal that lowers auto tariffs to 15% in exchange for a $550 billion Japanese investment pledge, while the next LDP leader must still secure a Diet vote to become prime minister.