The Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru ishibasurprised to announce his resignation last Sunday, just one year after having come to power and after suffering a hard upstairs in the partial elections of July that left the ruling coalition without a majority in the upper house. The resignation, communicated at an emergency press conference, opened a new political scenario in the third world economy, where the bid for defining its replacement has already begun.
“I decided to resign as president of the Democratic Liberal Party (PLD) And, according to our statutes, an extraordinary choice will no longer be necessary to dismiss me, ”said Ishiba, 68, confirming what several Japanese media had leaked hours before. The decision automatically implied his departure as prime minister, since in Japan that position is exercised by the force leader with more benches in Parliament.
Ishiba had come to power in September 2024 after imposing himself at the PLD inmates and consolidated his mandate a month later in the general elections. Its management was marked by a more reformist profile within the party and its distance with the figure of Shinzo Abeformer prime minister killed in 2022 and his historic political rival.
A step to the side after an agreement with the US
In his farewell, Ishiba said that his departure not only responds to the adverse electoral results, but also to a cycle that he considered fulfilled. The announcement occurred just one day after the return of its main commercial negotiator, Ryosei Akazawaafter signing in Washington a key agreement with the government of Donald Trump which reduced from 27.5 to 15 percent tariffs on Japanese cars.
“I have been saying that I would not hold on to the position. Now that the negotiations concluded, I consider that this is the appropriate time to step aside and leave a new generation,” he said. The president insisted that the pact with the United States represents a “milestone” for the Japanese economy and asked his successor to implement it fully to sustain the country’s competitiveness.
The political background
The defeat of the ruling in the Julio elections accelerated the internal rebellion in the PLD, a party that dominates Japanese politics almost uninterrupted since 1955. With the resignation, Ihiba sought to avoid a greater fracture in the formation and personally assume responsibility for the loss of support.
Local media such as the chain NHK They assured that the internal pressure was decisive, while the newspaper Asahi Shimbun He stressed that Ihiba could no longer resist the criticisms of his own space.
The succession begins
This Monday, just hours after the resignation, the career for the succession was officially open. The first to launch his candidacy was former Foreign Minister and current deputy Toshimitsu Motegiwho claimed to be willing to take the party “from the adversity in which she is” and promised to lead with accumulated experience in different government positions.
However, the definition will not be automatic. After the internal vote, the new PLD leader must submit to the endorsement of the diet – the Japanese Parliament -, which opens a small window so that the opposition tries to present its own candidate. Although unlikely, that scenario could face Motegi or any other PLD applicant with figures such as Yoshihiko Noda (Constitutional Democratic Party) or Yuichiro Tamaki (Democratic Party for the People).
The polls, however, suggest other names with chances of imposing themselves. One of them is that of the former Minister of Economics Sanae Takaichi64, who lost the primaries against Ihiba in 2024 and represents the conservative wing closest to Abe’s legacy. If chosen, it would become the first woman to head the Japanese executive.
Another name that gains strength is that of Shinjiro Koizumicurrent Minister of Agriculture and Son of the former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. With 44 years, he is the youngest among the applicants and is committed to recovering citizen trust after the bad electoral performance of July.
Third appears Yoshimasa Hayashiex -vocero of the Government of Ishiba and an official with extensive experience in sensitive portfolios such as defense, exterior and agriculture. Hayashi has already started conversations with his followers to measure internal support for the vote.
A change of era
With the departure of Ishiba, Japan prepares for a new political stage in a complex global context, crossed by commercial disputes, the challenge of the energy transition and the need to reinforce their alliances in Asia and the West.
Ishiba himself said goodbye thanking those who accompanied him and apologizing to his voters for having to leave the position early. “Japan is necessary for the world; that feeling has accompanied me all this year,” he concluded.
Source: Ambito
