'Decided to resign': Japan PM Shigeru Ishiba steps down; hopes to avoid LDP split

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced Sunday he will step down, amid mounting pressure from within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to take responsibility for July’s upper house election defeat.

"I have decided to resign from the position of president of the Liberal Democratic Party," said Ishiba, referring to Japan’s long-dominant ruling party, which has held power almost continuously for decades, as quoted by AP.


Earlier reports from NHK stated that Ishiba chose to step down to prevent a split within the party, while the Asahi Shimbun said he could no longer withstand the growing calls for his resignation.

Ishiba, who took office in October, had resisted demands from mostly right-wing opponents within his party for more than a month. His resignation comes just one day before the LDP was due to decide whether to hold an early leadership election — a move widely seen as a no-confidence vote against him if approved.

The prime minister said he would begin the process of organizing a leadership contest to choose his successor, adding there was no need for Monday’s scheduled decision.

The resignation follows July’s setback, when the LDP-Komeito coalition lost its upper house majority, dropping from 141 to 122 seats in the 248-member chamber. While less powerful than the lower house, the upper house remains critical for passing legislation.

The 68-year-old, a self-confessed defence "geek," has led the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) for less than a year — a position he secured only on his fifth attempt.

His decision to step down marks a swift and bruising downfall for Ishiba, the son of a regional governor and a member of Japan’s small Christian minority. It also brings fresh turbulence to the LDP, which has governed Japan almost without interruption since 1955.

Seen as a safe pair of hands, Ishiba won the party leadership in September 2024, becoming the LDP’s 10th prime minister since 2000 — all of them men. At the time, he pledged to "create a new Japan," promising to revitalise depressed rural areas and address the "quiet emergency" of the country’s shrinking population.

Soon after, he called snap lower house elections in October 2024, but the gamble backfired badly. The LDP suffered its worst result in 15 years, losing its majority with coalition partner Komeito and leaving the government dependent on opposition support to pass legislation.

The July upper house elections deepened the crisis, stripping the coalition of its majority there as well and intensifying speculation about Ishiba’s resignation.

During his brief tenure, his government’s approval ratings plunged, with voters angered by rising prices — especially rice, which has doubled in cost over the past year.