Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, challenged for months, announces his resignation

Japan has plunged into “profound political uncertainty,” comments the New York Times. Less than a year after taking office, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation on Sunday, September 7. This decision comes after he initially resisted pressure from his party—the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)—to step down.

At a press conference on Sunday, Ishiba explained that his departure was linked to trade negotiations with the United States, which he described as a "national crisis."

“I have always said that I will decide on the course of action at the appropriate time. With the US tariff negotiations having entered a decisive phase, I believe the time has come […] to make way for the new generation,” he said, according to the English-language daily The Japan Times .

For many media outlets in the country, the Prime Minister's fate had seemed sealed for several months. Between his party's first defeat in the October 2024 legislative elections, then a second, described as "stinging" in the senatorial elections on July 20, his imminent departure had been repeatedly announced. Yet Shigeru Ishiba seemed to be clinging to his duties. " Until last week, Ishiba seemed determined to stay in his post and tackle the economic and political challenges facing his government ," writes The Japan Times.

His popularity rating had even started to rise: according to a poll published at the end of August by the economic daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun , he received 42% favorable opinions, ten points more than in July.

But within his own party, Shigeru was no longer unanimous. In early August, a group of conservative parliamentarians hand-delivered him a letter demanding his resignation, reports national broadcaster NHK . Faced with his resistance, an internal LDP vote demanding his resignation was even scheduled for Monday, August 8.

Following Ishiba's resignation, the ruling party must now prepare for the presidential election. " However, given its membership in a minority government, there is no guarantee that the new party leader will become prime minister ," concludes Japanese magazine Nikkei Asia.