Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on Sunday that he would move following the growing calls from his party to assume the responsibility of a historic defeat during the July legislative elections.
Ishiba, who took Office in Octoberhad resisted the requests of the opponents mainly on the right within his own party for more than a month, affirming that such a stage would lead to a political void when Japan faces key challenges in and outside the country.
The resignation one day came before his liberal democratic party decided whether to hold an election of early leadership, a virtual motion without confidence against him if it is approved.
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Ishiba said at a television press conference that he would start a process to organize a party leadership vote to choose his replacement and that there was no need for a decision on Monday.
If the Prime Minister had remained, he would inevitably have struggled to manage his divided party and his minority government.
In July, the Ishiba leader coalition failed to ensure a majority in the upper chamber of 248 seats during a crucial parliamentary election, further waving the stability of his government. The loss added to a defeat in the elections prior to the lower chamber, where the coalition led by the party had also lost a majority.
His decision came after his meeting on Saturday with the Minister of Agriculture Shinjiro Koizumi and his perceived mentor, the former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who apparently suggested the resignation of Ishiba before the vote on Monday.
He had previously insisted on staying, emphasizing the need to avoid a political vacuum at a time when Japan is confronted with major challenges, including American prices and their impact on the economy, price increase, rice policies reforms and growing tension in the region.
Since last week’s adoption by the LDP of its examination of the electoral loss, which called for “a complete overhaul” of the party, requests for voting of early leadership or for the resignation of Ishiba before the results of Monday won in the field.
A conservative heavyweight, Taro ASO, known for its anti-Eshiba position, and a minister and several subministers of the Ishiba cabinet asked for an early vote, which prompted other people to follow suit.
Former Minister of Health, Norihisa Tamura, told a NHK talk show on Sunday that the best way to stop the party divider and advance is for Ishiba “to settle” the dispute before the vote on Monday, urging its resignation. The party has already been distracted from the necessary work on economic measures and on finding ways to obtain opposition support during the next parliamentary session, said Tamura.
Ishiba, who recalls as a party leader, the LDP should set a date for its presidential party election, likely to take place in early October.
The possible candidates include Koizumi, as well as the former ultra-conservative minister of economic security Sanae Takaichi, the chief secretary of the cabinet Yoshimasa Hayashi, moderate and the protégé of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Lack of a majority in the two houses, the next LDP chief will have to work with the main opposition parties to have the bills adopted, say the experts, or to face constant risks of requests without confidence.
The opposition parties, however, are too fragmented to form a large coalition to overthrow the government.
In recent weeks, Ishiba has managed to reduce President Trump to reduce the rate rates that US administration has imposed in Japan by 25% to 15%. Ishiba also said that he had his chief commercial negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, delivering his letter to Trump, declaring his wish to work with him to create “the golden era” of the Japanese-American alliance, inviting the American chief to visit Japan.
The best assistant in Ishiba, the secretary general of LDP, Hiroshi Moriyama, a key figure who negotiated with the main opposition leaders to help carry out legislation since the Prime Minister took office, also expressed his intention to resign on September 2 for electoral loss, although Ishiba did not give him resignation. Moriyama’s departure would have brought to the Prime Minister a blow.
