Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Resigns After Electoral Losses, Party Leadership Crisis

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is stepping down after less than a year in office, following a series of electoral defeats that weakened the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's hold on power. Ishiba, who took office in late 2024 promising to revitalize Japan and tackle rising living costs, faced declining public support amid economic stagnation, inflation, and contentious tariff negotiations with the U.S. under President Donald Trump's administration. Despite policy efforts such as releasing rice from government stockpiles and distributing cash payments, Ishiba's administration struggled to contain consumer price increases and failed to prevent the LDP from losing its majority in the Upper House for the first time in 15 years. Internal party dissent grew, with key officials resigning and calls for a leadership election mounting, signaling a possible shift toward more conservative leadership within the LDP. Ishiba's departure opens the door for successors like Sanae Takaichi and Shinjiro Koizumi, as the party seeks to recover from scandals and electoral setbacks. His brief tenure highlighted both domestic economic challenges and complex U.S.-Japan trade relations under the ongoing "America First" policy.