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Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigns after election defeat
Shigeru’s departure will fuel political uncertainty over the coming weeks until the Liberal Democrat Party chooses a successor
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Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on Sunday that he will resign, following growing calls from his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July’s parliamentary election.
Ishiba, who took office in October, said he was stepping down as prime minister and as the head of his conservative Liberal Democratic Party.
The 68-year-old centrist had resisted demands from opponents further to the right within his own party to resign.
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Ishiba argued that he wanted to avoid a political vacuum at a time when Japan faces key domestic and international challenges, including US tariffs, rising prices and growing tensions in the Asia-Pacific.
Ishiba explained at a news conference on Sunday night that he had intended for some time to take responsibility for his party’s summer election loss, but was first determined to make progress in tariff negotiations with the United States. He described it as a matter of national interest.
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“Who would seriously negotiate with a government whose leader says he is stepping down?” Ishiba said.
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