Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba denies reports of resignation amid pressure
Mr Ishiba has been under growing pressure to step down as his ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, lost their majority in the 248-member upper house, the smaller and less powerful of Japan's two-chamber parliament on Sunday, shaking his grip on power and Japan's political stability.
The loss means Mr Ishiba's ruling coalition, which also lost a majority in the more powerful lower house in October, now lacks a majority in both houses of parliament, making it even more difficult for his government to achieve any policy goals and worsening Japan's political instability.
Mr Ishiba had announced his intention to stay on to tackle pressing challenges, including tariff talks with the US, without creating a political vacuum, sparking calls from inside and outside his own party for a quick resignation to respond to the election results.
With the tariff deal with the US paving the way for his possible departure, Japanese media said he is expected to soon announce plans to step down in August.
Mr Ishiba spoke to the media after President Donald Trump announced a trade framework with Japan (Kyodo News via AP)
The Yomiuri newspaper, in an extra edition on Wednesday, said Mr Ishiba had decided to announce his resignation by the end of July after receiving a detailed report from his chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, paving the way for a party leadership vote to choose his successor.
Mr Ishiba denied the report and said he wants to focus on the US trade deal, which covers more than 4,000 goods affecting many Japanese producers and industries.
The Prime Minister, who met party heavyweights and former prime ministers Taro Aso, Fumio Kishida and Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday at party headquarters, told reporters afterwards that they did not discuss his resignation or a new party leadership contest.
They only discussed the election results, shared the sense of crisis and confirmed the need to avoid party discord, he said.
Mr Ishiba welcomed the trade agreement on Wednesday, which places a 15% tax on Japanese cars and other goods imported into the US from Japan, down from the initial 25%. He said it was a product of tough negotiations to protect the national interest and that it would help benefit both sides as they work together to create more jobs and investment.
But Mr Ishiba declined to comment on his possible move and only told reporters that he has to closely examine the trade deal first.
In Sunday's election, voters frustrated with price increases exceeding the pace of wage hikes, especially younger people who have long felt ignored by the ruling government's focus on senior voters, rapidly turned to emerging conservative and right-wing populist parties, like the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito.
None of the opposition parties have shown interest in forming a full-fledged alliance with the governing coalition but they have said they are open to cooperating on policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
12 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Hiroshima marks 80th anniversary of atomic bombing in Japan
A minute's silence was held while a peace bell rang at 8.15am local time, to mark when a US B-29 dropped the bomb on the city. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the city's mayor and other officials laid flowers at the cenotaph. Dozens of white doves - a symbol of peace - were released after the mayor's speech.
Irish Independent
14 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Hiroshima survivors mark 80 years since atomic bomb devastated city and warn against nuclear rhetoric
Visitors observe a minute of silence for the victims of the atomic bombing (Kyodo News via AP) With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them. 'There will be nobody left to pass on this sad and painful experience in 10 years or 20 years,' Minoru Suzuto, a 94-year-old survivor, said after he kneeled down to pray at the cenotaph. 'That's why I want to share (my story) as much as I can.' The bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on August 15, ending the Second World War and Japan's nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. Mayor of Hiroshima City Kazumi Matsui delivers a speech (Louise Delmotte/AP) Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned against a growing acceptance of military build-ups and of using nuclear weapons for national security amid Russia's war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, with the United States and Russia possessing most of the world's nuclear warheads. 'These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history,' he said. 'They threaten to topple the peace-building frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct.' He urged younger generations to recognise that such 'misguided policies' could cause 'utterly inhumane' consequences for their future. 'We don't have much time left, while we face a greater nuclear threat than ever,' said Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese grassroots organisation of survivors that won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its pursuit of nuclear abolition. 'Our biggest challenge now is to change, even just a little, nuclear weapons states that give us the cold shoulder,' the organisation said in its statement. About 55,000 people, including representatives from a record 120 countries and regions, including Russia and Belarus, were expected to attend the ceremony. A minute of silence was held while a peace bell rang out at 8.15am local time, the time when a US B-29 dropped the bomb on the city. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the city's mayor and other officials laid flowers at the cenotaph. Dozens of white doves, a symbol of peace, were released after the mayor's speech. Hours before the official ceremony, as the sun rose over Hiroshima, survivors and their families started paying tribute to the victims at the Peace Memorial Park, near the centre of the nuclear blast 80 years ago. Kazuo Miyoshi, a 74-year-old retiree, came to honour his grandfather and two cousins who died in the bombing and prayed that the 'mistake' will never be repeated. 'We do not need nuclear weapons,' Mr Miyoshi said. Hundreds of people went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (Kyodo News via AP) 'There is hope,' UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement read by Izumi Nakamitsu, under-secretary-general and high representative for disarmament affairs, noting Nihon Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize and countries' re-commitment to a nuclear free world in 'the Pact for the Future' adopted last year. Mr Guterres stressed the importance of carrying forward the survivors' testimony and message of peace and added: 'Remembering the past is about protecting and building peace today and in the future.' Outside the park under high security, more than 200 protesters gathered, holding posters and flags carrying messages such as 'No Nuke, Stop War' and 'Free Gaza! No more genocide' while chanting slogans. Local police said two people were arrested in separate cases near Hiroshima's iconic Atomic Bomb Dome, each on suspicion of assaulting a security guard. Wednesday's anniversary comes at a time when possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence is increasingly supported by the international community, including Japan. Some survivors said they were disappointed by President Donald Trump's recent remark justifying Washington's attack on Iran in June by comparing it to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the mild response from the Japanese government. 'It's ridiculous,' said Kosei Mito, a 79-year-old former high school teacher who was exposed to radiation while he was still in his mother's womb. 'I don't think we can get rid of nuclear weapons as long as it was justified by the assailant.'
Irish Examiner
15 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Hiroshima survivors mark 80 years since atomic bomb devastated city
Residents of Hiroshima have marked the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the Japanese city, with many ageing survivors expressing frustration about the growing support of global leaders for nuclear weapons as a deterrence. With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them. 'There will be nobody left to pass on this sad and painful experience in 10 years or 20 years,' Minoru Suzuto, a 94-year-old survivor, said after he kneeled down to pray at the cenotaph. 'That's why I want to share (my story) as much as I can.' The bombing of Hiroshima on August 6 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on August 15, ending the Second World War and Japan's nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. Mayor of Hiroshima City Kazumi Matsui delivers a speech (Louise Delmotte/AP) Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned against a growing acceptance of military build-ups and of using nuclear weapons for national security amid Russia's war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, with the United States and Russia possessing most of the world's nuclear warheads. 'These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history,' he said. 'They threaten to topple the peace-building frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct.' He urged younger generations to recognise that such 'misguided policies' could cause 'utterly inhumane' consequences for their future. 'We don't have much time left, while we face a greater nuclear threat than ever,' said Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese grassroots organisation of survivors that won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its pursuit of nuclear abolition. 'Our biggest challenge now is to change, even just a little, nuclear weapons states that give us the cold shoulder,' the organisation said in its statement. About 55,000 people, including representatives from a record 120 countries and regions, including Russia and Belarus, were expected to attend the ceremony. A minute of silence was held while a peace bell rang out at 8.15am local time, the time when a US B-29 dropped the bomb on the city. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the city's mayor and other officials laid flowers at the cenotaph. Dozens of white doves, a symbol of peace, were released after the mayor's speech. Hours before the official ceremony, as the sun rose over Hiroshima, survivors and their families started paying tribute to the victims at the Peace Memorial Park, near the centre of the nuclear blast 80 years ago. Kazuo Miyoshi, a 74-year-old retiree, came to honour his grandfather and two cousins who died in the bombing and prayed that the 'mistake' will never be repeated. 'We do not need nuclear weapons,' Mr Miyoshi said. Hundreds of people went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (Kyodo News via AP) 'There is hope,' UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement read by Izumi Nakamitsu, under-secretary-general and high representative for disarmament affairs, noting Nihon Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize and countries' re-commitment to a nuclear free world in 'the Pact for the Future' adopted last year. Mr Guterres stressed the importance of carrying forward the survivors' testimony and message of peace and added: 'Remembering the past is about protecting and building peace today and in the future.' Outside the park under high security, more than 200 protesters gathered, holding posters and flags carrying messages such as 'No Nuke, Stop War' and 'Free Gaza! No more genocide' while chanting slogans. Local police said two people were arrested in separate cases near Hiroshima's iconic Atomic Bomb Dome, each on suspicion of assaulting a security guard. Wednesday's anniversary comes at a time when possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence is increasingly supported by the international community, including Japan. Some survivors said they were disappointed by President Donald Trump's recent remark justifying Washington's attack on Iran in June by comparing it to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the mild response from the Japanese government. 'It's ridiculous,' said Kosei Mito, a 79-year-old former high school teacher who was exposed to radiation while he was still in his mother's womb. 'I don't think we can get rid of nuclear weapons as long as it was justified by the assailant.'
