Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Likely to Step down Following Japan-U.S. Trade Deal
The president of the Liberal Democratic Party is expected to make official announcement on his resignation as early as the end of the month.
After the crushing defeat of the ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito in Sunday's House of Councillors election, Ishiba said Monday that he will stay in office, citing the need to respond to such issues as U.S. tariff measures. 'We must fulfill our responsibility as the largest party in the Diet,' Ishiba said at a press conference. But there were calls within the LDP for Ishiba to resign, holding him responsible for the loss.
Ishiba is believed to have told the decision to those around him to take responsibility for the results of the poll as Japan and the United States concluded their tariff negotiations, which had been the biggest pending issue between the two countries.
Following his decision, the LDP will begin studying the schedule for a presidential election to select a successor.
'I will make a final decision [whether to step down] based on the results of the tariff negotiations. I cannot comment further until I have carefully examined the details of the agreement,' Ishiba told reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday morning. He also indicated his intention to hold a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Economy revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who held ministerial talks on tariffs in Washington on Monday, is expected to return home as early as Thursday. Ishiba is expected to decide when to announce his resignation and to resign after receiving a detailed report on the agreement from Akazawa, taking into consideration the possibility of a Japan-U.S. summit meeting and other political schedules.
On Tuesday evening, Ishiba told those around him that the tariff negotiations are a matter of national interest, and he will explain how he will take responsibility for the results of the upper house election once it becomes unclear when negotiations will resume. He also said Wednesday evening his stance remains unchanged.
Movement to oust Ishiba was widespread within the LDP after the party's defeat in the Sunday poll. The party also suffered a crushing loss in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election in June and the House of Representatives election in October last year.
Dissatisfaction was growing at Ishiba's announcement that he will stay in office. Also with no progress in the coordination of a partial coalition, in which the ruling parties cooperate with opposition parties on a policy-by-policy
The LDP and Komeito won only 47 seats in Sunday's election, significantly down from the combined 66 seats they were defending. It fell short of the 50 seats that Ishiba had set as a 'must-win target.'
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