Clock ticks on Japan PM's time in office as Aug. 1 tariff deadline nears
RIEKO MIKI
TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has vowed stay in office to avoid a power vacuum amid tariff negotiations with the U.S., but regardless of how the talks go, he may face calls to resign from within his party after Aug. 1, when the duties are set to take effect.
Despite his Liberal Democratic Party losing its majority with coalition partner Komeito in Sunday's upper house election, Ishiba quickly expressed his intention to stay on, saying that the important thing is not to let the government "come to a standstill."
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The Mainichi
2 hours ago
- The Mainichi
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The more forward-leaning stance Japan has taken on defence, first under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and then with the new National Security Strategy under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in 2022, has had the dual purpose of increasing Japan's contribution to joint deterrence operations with America and creating more long-term options for national security in case relations with Washington become more fractured. Continuing and even enhancing this strategy remains Japan's only viable plan. What Japan could perhaps invest even more time in is in its already impressive diplomatic efforts in north-east and south-east Asia. To cope with the Trump "typhoon" and to increase Japan's own leverage over Washington at any time of crisis, it makes sense to work more closely with other countries that face the same pressures, starting with South Korea but also extending south to Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan itself. 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Kyodo News
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