Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is preparing to step down, local broadcasters reported on Sunday, as pressure mounted within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) following a crushing election defeat in July.
According to Japan’s NHK News and other local media outlets, Ishiba conveyed his intention to resign after weeks of resisting calls from rivals inside the LDP to take responsibility for the coalition’s poor electoral showing.
His decision comes on the eve of a key party meeting to determine whether to hold an early leadership election, a move widely viewed as a no-confidence vote against him.
Ishiba, who assumed office in October last year, has struggled to steady his government after a series of setbacks.
In July, the LDP-led coalition failed to secure a majority in the 248-seat upper house, adding to earlier losses in the more powerful lower house and leaving the party in a weakened position across parliament.
According to Al Jazeera, Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and conservative lawmaker Sanae Takaichi have emerged as the most likely contenders to succeed him.
Both have strong support bases within the party, with Takaichi seen as appealing to fiscal conservatives while Koizumi carries the weight of a political dynasty.
Analysts say Ishiba’s downfall was accelerated by voter frustration over rising living costs, which undermined his policy agenda, and by internal divisions that threatened to splinter the party if he stayed on.
“Given the political pressure mounting on Ishiba after the LDP’s repeated election losses, his resignation was inevitable,” Kazutaka Maeda, an economist at Meiji Yasuda Research Institute told Al Jazeera
The resignation drama also comes following sensitive trade talks with the United States. Just days ago, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reducing tariffs on Japanese car imports, a move seen as a breakthrough deal but one that Japan insists is not yet final.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not officially confirmed Ishiba’s resignation, but government officials said he is expected to address the media later on Sunday.
