Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided to resign to avoid a split within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, public broadcaster NHK said on Sunday.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his reignation on Sunday in a press conference adding that he would continue his duties until a successor is elected.
Thus triggering the start of a long period of policy paralysis at a shaky moment for the world's fourth-largest economy.
Ishiba, 68, instructed his Liberal Democratic Party - which has governed Japan for almost all of the post-war era - to hold an emergency leadership race.
Since coming to power less than a year ago, Ishiba has overseen his ruling coalition lose its majorities in elections for both houses of parliament amid voter anger over rising living costs.
Until Sunday, he had refused calls to step down following the latest of those losses in July's upper house vote.
He had focused instead on ironing out details of a trade deal with the United States on President Donald Trump's tariffs, which have roiled Japan's critical automotive industry and cast a shadow over weak growth.
"With Japan having signed the trade agreement and the president having signed the executive order, we have passed a key hurdle," Ishiba said, his voice seeming to catch with emotion. "I would like to pass the baton to the next generation."
Concern over political uncertainty led to a sell-off in Japan's yen currency and its government bonds last week, with the yield on the 30-year bond hitting a record high on Wednesday.
Speculation over Ishiba's fate was stoked by the LDP's decision to schedule a vote for Monday on whether to hold an extraordinary leadership election.
Following the country’s growing political instability, the prime minister has faced calls to resign from mostly right-wing opponents within his party, who urged him to take responsibility for the results of a July’s vote.
Reports suggested that Japan’s agricultural minister and a former prime minister met with Ishiba on Saturday evening to persuade him to resign.
Britain will back Jaguar Land Rover with a £1.5 billion loan guarantee to shore up its supply chain after the luxury carmaker’s production was halt...
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the U.N. on Saturday that any aggression against Russia would be met with a “decisive response,” as re...
United Nations sanctions are set to be reimposed on Iran later Saturday under the “snapback” mechanism, a move Tehran says will be met with harsh ...
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday he is deploying troops to Portland, Oregon, authorizing them to use “full force, if necessary,” to ...
At least 36 people were killed and about 50 were injured at a rally held by Tamil actor and politician Vijay in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nad...
Britain will back Jaguar Land Rover with a £1.5 billion loan guarantee to shore up its supply chain after the luxury carmaker’s production was halted by a cyberattack. The guarantee, underpinned by UK Export Finance, aims to prevent supplier collapse.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the U.N. on Saturday that any aggression against Russia would be met with a “decisive response,” as recent airspace incidents involving NATO and EU states elevate tensions along the alliance’s eastern flank.
United Nations sanctions are set to be reimposed on Iran later Saturday under the “snapback” mechanism, a move Tehran says will be met with harsh retaliation. The step comes amid accusations Iran violated the 2015 nuclear deal, and echoes a deteriorating diplomatic standoff.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday he is deploying troops to Portland, Oregon, authorizing them to use “full force, if necessary,” to protect federal immigration facilities against what he called “domestic terrorists.”
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool, Housing Secretary Steve Reed is set to announce a plan to build 12 new towns across England.
In September 2025, a group of polar bears was seen inhabiting an abandoned Soviet polar research station on Kolyuchin Island in the Chukchi Sea. The station, deserted for over 30 years, now offers shelter from Arctic weather for the bears.
Britain will back Jaguar Land Rover with a £1.5 billion loan guarantee to shore up its supply chain after the luxury carmaker’s production was halted by a cyberattack. The guarantee, underpinned by UK Export Finance, aims to prevent supplier collapse.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the U.N. on Saturday that any aggression against Russia would be met with a “decisive response,” as recent airspace incidents involving NATO and EU states elevate tensions along the alliance’s eastern flank.
United Nations sanctions are set to be reimposed on Iran later Saturday under the “snapback” mechanism, a move Tehran says will be met with harsh retaliation. The step comes amid accusations Iran violated the 2015 nuclear deal, and echoes a deteriorating diplomatic standoff.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment