Ishiba's last stand? Japan's LDP in turmoil as Sanseito surge erodes PM's grip on power
Japan 's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office despite a stinging electoral rebuke that plunged his ruling coalition into fresh turmoil.
The humiliating setback, confirmed
late on Sunday , has fuelled doubts about Ishiba's leadership as rivals within his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) circle and stoked anxiety in the world's
fourth-largest economy , already reeling from rising prices, mounting security threats and the disruptive effects of US President
Donald Trump 's aggressive tariff regime.
In a sombre appearance on public broadcaster NHK two hours after polls closed on Sunday, Ishiba 'solemnly' conceded the 'harsh result'. 'It is a difficult situation that must be taken very humbly and seriously,' he said. Pressed on he intended to continue as Japan's leader, he replied: 'That's right'.
But Ishiba's leadership of the party and the country appears increasingly precarious. Signs of discontent have flared within the LDP since the vote, with former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi openly signalling her readiness to challenge the prime minister.
Addressing supporters in Nara prefecture on Friday, Takaichi declared the party was 'under scrutiny' and warned it might require drastic change to resurrect its fortunes.
Sanae Takaichi speaks before an LDP run-off election in September last year. The ex-economic security minister has been positioning herself as a possible successor to Ishiba. Photo: AP
'I have made up my mind in my own way,' Jiji Press quoted her as saying. 'I will once again firmly reset the party's backbone. I promise to fight for that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
8 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong court rules law on use of opposite-sex public toilets must be struck down
A ruling by a Hong Kong court has ordered that the current ban on individuals' use of some public toilets designated for the opposite sex must be struck down, as a judge partially upheld a legal challenge calling for wider acceptance of transgender people in sex-specific facilities. In the landmark ruling on Wednesday, the High Court upheld an anonymous litigant's claim that the government violated its constitutional duty to safeguard residents' equality and privacy rights by criminalising the misuse of public restrooms managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department at the expense of the transgender community. Mr Justice Russell Coleman suspended his judgment for a year to allow the government time to develop a solution, noting that officials might feel content to 'let the criminal offence go'. 'I suppose the view could be taken that, as with other conveniences accessible by the public (but privately managed), there are other offences which can be used to deter and punish improper conduct,' he said in a 51-page judgment. 'This is a matter of line-drawing, which seems to me to be a question for the government or legislature to address.' He also stressed that the court would not judge where the line separating men and women should be drawn in the legal context, as it was a matter for legislation, 'probably in the context of wider or interlinked questions', to make that determination. The government can also file an appeal against the decision within 28 days. Need for an update The applicant, a transgender man identified in court only as 'K', sought a judicial review in 2022 by highlighting a potential breach of local laws if he were found to have entered a public restroom that did not align with the female sex marker on his identity card. The court heard that K held a gender identity letter showing he was undergoing a period of 'real-life experience', during which he sought to live consistently in the adopted gender. The step is generally required in Hong Kong for anyone wishing to proceed to hormonal treatment or sex reassignment surgery. The Public Conveniences (Conduct and Behaviour) Regulation, which governs the use of public lavatories managed by the department, bars anyone aged five or above from such facilities allocated to their opposite sex. Offenders can face a fine of up to HK$2,000 (US$254). The law does not apply to public toilets managed by other government departments and those situated at private premises. The department managed a total of 805 public toilets as of September 2022, with 408, or around half of them, being unisex facilities. Current laws bar residents over the age of five from using public lavatories designated for the opposite sex. Photo: Felix Wong Coleman noted that the law was drafted in the 1960s, when nobody in society would have envisaged a need for change arising from transgender identities. The applicant's counsel argued the regulation should be revised to accommodate holders of such medical certificates so that they could access toilets of the sex they identified with before they were deemed fit to receive treatment. Tim Parker SC, for K, highlighted the mental health challenges faced by the transgender community and said his client would minimise water intake while outdoors to avoid having to go to public toilets and arousing suspicion. Authorities originally resisted the legal bid by highlighting safety and privacy concerns and society's expectation that toilet access be limited in accordance with the users' biological sex. But they pulled back from that position after the Court of Final Appeal delivered a landmark judgment in 2023 affirming transgender people's right against privacy invasion in a case concerning the use of their preferred sex marker on identity cards. Step forward for LGBTQ Hongkongers The present case has created a new battleground for greater legal recognition by the LGBTQ community that has forced the city government to implement piecemeal reforms over the years through legal action. In a statement shared by Daly and Associates, the law firm which served as K's solicitors, the applicant said: 'Today, I and other transgender friends who are still in the process of gender transition can use public toilets openly without fear of being rejected.' 'Hong Kong is another step further in improving its gender-friendly [measures]. Hopefully Hong Kong's judicial system will gradually become more inclusive in the future,' he added. The law firm described the ruling as a 'significant milestone in the advancement of transgender rights in Hong Kong'. 'Transgender individuals in Hong Kong deserve the same dignity, privacy, and equality as everyone else,' Mark Daly, the firm's principal, was quoted as saying. 'The burden of defending basic rights should never fall on those already facing systemic barriers.' He added that it was the government's duty to proactively review discriminatory laws and ensure that public spaces were safe, inclusive, and accessible to all, regardless of gender identity. Quarks HK, a concern group focusing on issues with transgender youth, said the ruling marked a significant milestone in human rights development in Hong Kong. It urged authorities to set up more gender-friendly public facilities and double down on efforts to remove the social stigma attached to transgender people.
South China Morning Post
34 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
India to issue first tourist visas to Chinese nationals in 5 years
India will allow Chinese citizens to apply for tourist visas for the first time in five years amid ongoing efforts by the world's two most populous countries to improve relations following years of tension. The Indian embassy in Beijing said applications for tourist visas would resume on Thursday. It said applicants must complete an online form then book an in-person appointment to submit the required documents at centres in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou. China's foreign ministry described the announcement as a 'positive move' that served the 'common interest' of all sides. 'China stands ready to maintain communication and coordination with India to keep facilitating people-to-people exchanges between the two countries,' Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the ministry, said on Wednesday.
The Standard
38 minutes ago
- The Standard
China to tighten road traffic laws as use of smart-driving systems expands
A Xiaomi SU7 Ultra electric vehicle is displayed during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in April 23. Photo by REUTERS
