Japan PM Ishiba vows to stay on, seeks support at ruling party meeting

Nikkei Asia

7 days ago

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday reiterated his intention to stay on as he sought support from party lawmakers, many of whom have been urging him to resign after a recent crushing election loss.
At the Liberal Democratic Party's first meeting of lawmakers for both houses since the July 20 House of Councilors election, Ishiba apologized for the dismal outcome but warned of potential political paralysis in his latest attempt to justify his decision to remain in the job.
"It's my intention to fulfill my responsibility for the people and the country by never creating a political vacuum," said Ishiba, who is LDP chief.
He added that he will make "maximum efforts" to make sure that voters can feel that the LDP has changed following the election loss, in which the ruling coalition missed its target of retaining at least an overall majority in the upper house.
LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, the party's No. 2, said he will finalize his decision on whether to stay on or not after completing by the end of August an internal review of why the LDP suffered its worst election showing in years.
Despite Ishiba's renewed push for support from fellow LDP members, his resignation is seen as increasingly inevitable sooner or later.
The LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, have already lost their majority in the more powerful House of Representatives after last year's election, meaning that opposition support is required to pass bills and budgets.
Ishiba, who became LDP chief and prime minister last year, has said it is important that he remains in office to navigate the country through what he has described as a "national crisis," citing rapidly changing political situations such as U.S. tariffs.
But pressure from within the LDP to step down has shown little sign of easing, with some party lawmakers distancing themselves from Ishiba while there is also discontent in some local chapters.
Monday's meeting was held on the last day of the six-year terms of half of the upper house's 248 members. Depending on how Ishiba handles the meeting, calls for his resignation could grow.
Some party members have signed documents to demand the LDP hold a decision-making plenary meeting of lawmakers from both houses to demand a leadership election at an early date. Signatures from a third of party lawmakers are required to demand such a gathering.
Those joining the move are LDP members who stood behind the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, who was gunned down during a campaign speech in 2022. Lawmakers with close ties with heavyweights such as former Prime Minister Taro Aso and former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who competed against Ishiba in the LDP presidential race last year, are also among the group.
Potential candidates to replace him have been on the move in recent days.
Former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, Ishiba's archrival, who ran unsuccessfully against him for the top party post, has held talks with people close to her as well as her supporter Aso.
In the latest upper house election, emerging forces including the right-wing populist party Sanseito are believed to have siphoned conservative support from the LDP.
With the rising cost of living and lackluster wage growth in real terms continuing to hurt households, the ruling coalition sought to woo voters with a promise of cash handouts while opposition parties called for reducing or abolishing the consumption tax.
With the LDP's internal confusion and wrangling out in the open, the public appears split over whether Ishiba should resign. Hundreds of people took to the streets outside the prime minister's office Friday to ask him not to step down, with the hashtag "Don't quit Ishiba" trending on social media.
A recent Kyodo News poll found 51.6% in favor of Ishiba's resignation, compared with 45.8% who saw no need for it.