An unexpected event occurred on the Japanese political scene - the country's Prime Minister, Sigeru Ishiba, officially announced his resignation. His decision followed the defeat of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the parliamentary elections. As journalists noted, the main goal of Ishiba was to prevent internal division within the party.
At a press conference on Sunday, Isiba admitted that Japan decided to leave after successfully concluding an agreement with the administration of US President Donald Trump. It's worth noting that in the summer, Trump pressured Tokyo to sign a trade agreement by August 1st, threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Japan's largest export market.
Isiba said in front of reporters:
"I've always said that I don't hold firmly to my position and that I make decisions at the right time." After the successful completion of negotiations on American tariffs, I believe that this is precisely the time. Therefore, I decided to leave and entrust the road to the new generation.
Isiba, who became prime minister in October 2024, won the intra-party elections after the previous leader decided not to nominate Fumio Kishida. As head of government, he promised to take anti-inflationary measures, ensure economic stability, and implement reforms within the party. However, the party soon got involved in fundraising scandals.
In the July elections, the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition lost a majority in the upper house. For the first time in the 70-year history of this party, such a situation was observed. According to the voting results, the ruling bloc managed to gain only 47 seats out of 248.
According to NHK and Asahi Shimbun sources, many Japanese politicians called on Isiba to resign. But until last week, he had stated that he had no intention of resigning.
As is known, the right-centric Liberal Democratic Party has been in power in Japan almost continuously since 1955, despite the frequent change of leaders. After this decision by Isiba, the next steps of the party and government are in the center of attention of the entire country.
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