Shigeru Ishiba to step down as Japanese prime minister and party chief
發佈日期: 2025-09-07 21:22
TVB News
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced today that he will step down as the head of the Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, amid growing calls for him to take responsibility for the party's election setback.
The 68-year-old former defence minister came to power in October last year and has presided over parliamentary elections in which the LDP-led coalition lost its majority in both chambers.
Concern over political uncertainty led to a sell-off in the Japanese yen and government bonds last week, with the yield on the 30-year bond hitting a record high on Wednesday.
Lawmakers of Japan's embattled ruling party were planning to hold a vote on Monday on whether to hold an extraordinary leadership election that could have ousted Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
While the vote will likely go ahead, Ishiba saved them the trouble of ousting him.
This afternoon, he ended speculation by resigning, deciding to walk away and avoid a split within the Liberal Democratic Party.
At a press conference today, he instructed the LDP to hold the emergency leadership race and said he would continue his duties until a successor was elected.
His announcement comes after Japan signed a trade agreement with the United States, Ishiba calling it a key hurdle overcome, adding it was time to pass on the baton.
Potential successors include veteran politician Sanae Takaichi, narrowly defeated by Ishiba in last year's LDP run-off, and Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
Ishiba became prime minister in October last year, pledging to tackle inflation, reform the party and make the country "smile again."
But it has been all frowns since then, with the LDP-led coalition losing its majority in elections for both houses of parliament amid voter anger over rising costs.
While a fresh leadership race could add pain for the economy, markets are focusing more on the chance of the new leader having looser fiscal policies, such as Takaichi, who has criticised interest rate hikes.
The LDP has been the dominant political force since its founding in 1955, and almost always produces the prime minister.
But the LDP-led coalition's loss in July's election has significantly changed that dymanic and there is no guarantee that the next LDP president will become prime minister.
Ishiba had previously refused calls from his party to step down and take responsibility for the upper house loss in July.
Instead, he has focused on trying to iron out the final details of the deal with the United States on trade tariffs that have roiled its critical automotive industry.
