2 days ago
Japan's Ishiba Tries to Buy Time After Historic Election Setback
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sought to buy time for his premiership following a second election setback in less than a year that leaves him in a weaker position to stave off opposition tax cut demands or secure a last-minute trade deal with the US.
'As we are the biggest party in parliament, I believe I must fulfill my responsibility to the nation and its people,' Ishiba said at a press conference held Monday after an election that left the ruling bloc three seats short of maintaining a majority in the upper house. Ishiba raised the US trade talks, inflation and an increasingly tense security environment as pressing issues that must not be left to stagnate due to political instability.
