Japan's Ishiba stresses resolve to stay, avoid political vacuum

The Star

28-07-2025

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reiterated his resolve to stay on to avoid creating a political vacuum and to ensure that a trade deal with the US is fully implemented.
"I intend to fulfill my responsibility so as to never create a political vacuum for the nation and its people,' Ishiba said on Monday (July 28) at the start of a rare meeting in which the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's lawmakers have gathered to assess the reasons for the party's recent election setback.
The meeting, which started around 3.30pm local time, will give those in the party who seek a change at the top an opportunity to directly challenge Ishiba over his leadership.
In his remarks, Ishiba apologised for the historic defeat that the LDP suffered in the July 20 election, and he said he wants to do his best to ensure the recent trade deal with the US is fully implemented.
LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, speaking at the same venue, said he'll finish analysing the election's results in August and decide at that time how best to hold himself accountable.
On Sunday, Ishiba signalled he intends to stay in office even after the ruling coalition lost its majority in the upper house of parliament in the election.
"I intend to devote myself to the people and the future of the country,' Ishiba said in an interview with national broadcaster NHK. He added he wanted to ensure the successful implementation of the recently announced US-Japan trade deal.
New opinion polls show support for Ishiba's administration remains low, although surveys also suggest the public sees few good alternatives to the current prime minister. Polls in the Mainichi and Asahi newspapers published on Sunday both showed approval ratings of 29% for Ishiba's government.
The Asahi poll also found that 41% of respondents thought Ishiba should stand down, while 47% thought that wasn't necessary. The same survey showed that 81% of respondents thought the LDP's defeat was due to partywide issues rather than the prime minister's leadership.
Ishiba has also found support on social media and in small public gatherings outside the prime minister's office from members of the public calling for him to stay on.
Nonetheless, party members have been calling for someone to take responsibility for the July 20 election setback, which substantially weakened Ishiba's position.
For the first time since 1955, a leader from the storied Japanese party now has to govern the country without a majority in either of the legislative bodies.
Former foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi called for a leadership change within the LDP on his YouTube channel over the weekend. The party needs a "fresh start with a new leader,' he said.
While pressure mounted on Ishiba last week, the premier got good news in the form of a surprise trade deal with the US that carried relatively favourable terms for Japan, including the lowering of across-the-board tariffs to 15% from 25%.
The deal doesn't appear to have given Ishiba a significant boost in popularity. - Bloomberg