Japan's Ishiba denies resignation plans despite electoral drubbing

TOKYO: Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied again on Wednesday plans for resignation following a historic defeat of his ruling party in a weekend election despite growing calls for him to step down, saying he wanted to ensure the appropriate implementation of a new tariff agreement with the US.

Ishiaba met with heavyweights from his ruling Liberal Democratic Party and former prime ministers Taro Aso, Fumio Kishida and Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday at party headquarters. He told reporters afterward that they did not discuss his resignation or a new party leadership contest, but only the election results, voters' dissatisfaction and the urgent need to avoid party discord.

Despite his business-as-usual demeanour, Ishiba is under increasing pressure to bow out after his ruling party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, lost Sunday their majority in the 248-member upper house, the smaller and less powerful of Japan's two-chamber parliament, shaking his grip on power.


This came after a loss in the more powerful lower house in October, and so his coalition now lacks a majority in both houses of parliament, making it even more difficult for his government to pass policies and worsening Japan's political instability.

Ishiba had announced Monday he intended to stay on to tackle pressing challenges, including tariff talks with the US, so as not to create a political vacuum despite calls from inside and outside his party for a quick resignation.

Japanese media said he is expected to soon announce plans to step down in August. The conservative Yomiuri newspaper said in an extra edition on Wednesday Ishiba had decided to announce his resignation by the end of July after receiving a detailed report from his chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, on the impact of the US tariffs on the Japanese economy, paving the way for a new party leader.