
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Implies He Won't Resign; Japan Must ‘Avoid Stagnation in National Politics'
'Japan is currently facing a number of challenges, including tariff measures by the United States, inflation, natural disasters and the most severe and complicated security environment since the end of World War II,' Ishiba said. 'Under these severe circumstances, the most important thing is to avoid stagnation in national politics.'

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Tokyo Weekender
5 hours ago
- Tokyo Weekender
LDP-Led Coalition Lose Upper House Majority, Ishiba Vows To Continue as Prime Minister
A record 26 million people voted in Sunday's Upper House election, which fell in the middle of a three-day holiday. For the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito, 50 was the magic number. They needed to secure 125 seats for a majority, with 75 of those seats not up for election. In the end, they missed out by three. It is a major blow for the ruling coalition which also lost control of the more powerful Lower House last October. For the first time in its 70-year history, the LDP leads a coalition that doesn't control either house. They will now need the support of at least one opposition party to pass any piece of legislation. All the major opposition parties have refused to join them in an expanded coalition. List of Contents: Ishiba To Fight on Despite Another Poor Result The Rise of Populist Parties Related Posts Ishiba To Fight On Despite Another Poor Result Following two consecutive poor election results, there will, no doubt, be increasing calls for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to step down. One of his most vocal critics within the party is Taro Aso, who served as PM from 2008 to 2009. He told TV Asahi that he 'couldn't accept' Ishiba staying on as prime minister. The man himself, however, insists that he is not ready to go just yet. Speaking to NHK two hours after the polls closed, Ishiba said he 'solemnly' accepted the 'harsh result.' He later told TV Tokyo, 'We are engaged in extremely critical tariff negotiations with the United States… We must never ruin these negotiations. It is only natural to devote our complete dedication and energy to realizing our national interests.' Asked whether he planned to continue as prime minister, he replied, 'That's right.' Sohei Kamiya and the Sanseito Party Logo | Wikimedia The Rise of Populist Parties The major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, meanwhile, secured just 22 seats, down from 38. It was also a disappointing election for the Japan Innovation Party, which fell from 18 to seven. The notable gains in the election came for populist opposition parties like the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP) and Sanseito. The former now holds 17 seats, up from nine, while the latter secured 14. It held just one before the election. Campaigning under the slogan of 'Japanese First,' the ultraconservative right-wing party is led by Sohei Kamiya. 'If Sanseito wins 50 or 60 seats in the next Lower House election, I think it may be possible to form a coalition government with small parties, like European (governments), in the future. (Sanseito) will aim to be a part of that,' said Kamiya at a press conference on Sunday night. Having exceeded 10 seats, the party can now submit nonspending bills in the Upper House. Its target was 20 seats, the minimum requirement to submit budget bills. Kamiya has repeatedly stated that Sanseito is not a xenophobic party. Speaking at the FCCJ earlier this month, he said , 'Please understand we're not intending to exclude foreign workers who are here legally. We just believe cheap foreign labor's not the right way.' Related Posts Sanseito Explained: The Alarming Rise of Japan's Far-Right Movement Why Japanese Leftists Are Using Melonpan to Mock Sanseito Sanseito Leader Says 'Japanese First Approach Is Not Based on Xenophobia'

6 hours ago
Record 42 Women Elected to Japan's Upper House
News from Japan Politics Jul 21, 2025 20:34 (JST) Tokyo, July 21 (Jiji Press)--Forty-two women were elected to the House of Councillors in Sunday's election, hitting a record high for the upper chamber of Japan's parliament. The number of female candidates reached 152, the second highest on record. Of them, 27.6 pct were elected, surpassing the success rate of 22.4 for male candidates. Women made up 33.6 pct of all elected candidates, exceeding 30 pct for the first time. Of the 42 women elected, 27 won constituency seats and 15 secured proportional representation seats. The previous record high of 35 female winners was struck in the previous Upper House election in 2022. By party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan had the largest number of female winners at 12, accounting for 54.5 pct of its elected members. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press


Kyodo News
6 hours ago
- Kyodo News
China says it seeks stable ties with Japan after LDP election defeat
BEIJING - China said Monday it will continue to seek stable ties with Japan, a day after the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the upper house race. Guo Jiakun, a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, declined to comment on the results of Sunday's House of Councillors election, calling them "internal affairs" of Japan, but said Beijing is willing to work with Tokyo to continuously carry out dialogue and communication at all levels. China is also eager to promote "strategic and mutually beneficial" bilateral ties that are "constructive and stable," Guo said. Amid intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry and steep tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, China has tried to stabilize its strained ties with Japan. Recently, it has lifted its total ban on Japanese seafood introduced in 2023 after Japan began releasing treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea and completed a key step toward resuming Japanese beef imports, paving the way for their restart after a 24-year hiatus. China's official Xinhua News Agency reported on the election setback of Japan's ruling coalition as breaking news, noting the difficulty Ishiba may face in remaining in power.