logo
Japan's Ishiba vows to stay on after election defeat

Japan's Ishiba vows to stay on after election defeat

Muscat Daily4 days ago
Tokyo, Japan – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition has failed to secure a majority in Sunday's election for the 248-seat upper house of parliament, Japan's public NHK TV outlet said.
Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), already in a minority in the lower house since last October's snap election, faced mounting public discontent over inflation, political scandals and a surge in anti-immigration sentiment.
Why Ishiba won't resign
The LDP and its junior partner Komeito needed to win 50 of the 125 contested seats in addition to the 75 they already have. They fell short, winning only 46 of the seats.
In recent years, such an electoral defeat has usually led to a prime minister's resignation. Ishiba, however, vowed to stay on to lead Japan through the difficult terrain of striking a trade deal with the US in the face of looming tariffs.
'We are engaged in extremely critical tariff negotiations with the United States … we must never ruin these negotiations,' he told a press conference after vowing to stay on as party leader through the trade talks.
The loss is another blow to Ishiba's coalition, which is now a minority in both houses following its October defeat in the lower house election. It is the first time the LDP has lost a majority in both houses of parliament since the party's founding in 1955.
The poor performance in the election will not immediately trigger a change of government because the upper house lacks the power to file a no-confidence motion against a leader. Despite his determination to stay on, Ishiba could face calls from within his party to step down or find another coalition partner.
Rise of 'Japanese First' party
The surge of the right-wing populist Sanseito party complicated the election.
Once a fringe movement, spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and global elites during the COVID-19 pandemic on YouTube, the party is now gaining momentum with its 'Japanese First' rhetoric and criticism of immigration, globalism, and foreign capital.
Sanseito is expected to win 14 seats in the upper house, appealing especially to young male voters.
Its leader, Sohei Kamiya, has drawn comparisons to Trump and Germany's AfD for his anti-establishment stance and social media reach.
According to AFP news agency, a Sunday interview by Russia's Sputnik news agency with a Sanseito candidate courted controversy and prompted Kamiya to deny ties to Russia.
The European Union has banned Sputnik and other Russian state media for 'disinformation and information manipulation'.
DW
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Zelensky backtracks after protests, moves to restore anti-graft agency independence
Zelensky backtracks after protests, moves to restore anti-graft agency independence

Times of Oman

time15 hours ago

  • Times of Oman

Zelensky backtracks after protests, moves to restore anti-graft agency independence

Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday announced a new bill aimed at restoring the independence of the country's anti-corruption agencies, following widespread protests at home and mounting criticism from Western allies, RT reported. The announcement came just two days after Zelensky signed a controversial law allowing the Prosecutor General's Office to intervene in the operations of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), RT stated. That move followed a law enforcement raid on NABU's offices and the arrest of a senior employee accused of spying for Russia. Zelensky claimed the new legislation provides "full-fledged guarantees of the independence of anti-corruption agencies," and said it aims to "keep out" alleged Russian interference. According to RT, the draft law also mandates lie detector tests for employees of NABU, SAPO, and other related bodies. "The text of the bill was discussed with partners, law enforcement agencies, and representatives of the NABU and SAPO. There were many proposals from our partners to involve European experts - from the UK, Germany, and the EU," Zelensky said, as quoted by RT. The policy reversal follows a surge of public protests across Ukraine against what many saw as a clampdown on anti-graft bodies. Demonstrations erupted in cities including Kyiv, Odessa, Dnipro, and Lviv, according to RT. Critics have accused Zelensky of exhibiting authoritarian tendencies and attempting to tighten his grip on power. They argued the earlier law rendered the anti-graft bodies "purely decorative." RT reported that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the move and urged Zelensky to "respect the rule of law," warning that the measure could derail Ukraine's European Union membership aspirations. NABU and SAPO were created following the 2014 US-backed coup in Kyiv and were intended to align Ukraine with Western governance norms and international financial standards. However, RT noted that critics have described the agencies as instruments of external influence over Ukraine's internal affairs. Meanwhile, some Western officials, including US Vice President J.D. Vance, have expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts. They argue that despite a decade of reforms, entrenched corruption remains unaddressed.

Trump accuses Obama of 'treason', without providing evidence
Trump accuses Obama of 'treason', without providing evidence

Muscat Daily

time2 days ago

  • Muscat Daily

Trump accuses Obama of 'treason', without providing evidence

Washington, D.C., US – US President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of 'treason' on Tuesday without providing evidence. Trump cited his intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard, who on Friday declassified documents that allegedly showed how the Obama administration laid the groundwork for an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. What did Trump say about Obama? 'It's there, he's guilty. This was treason,' Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday. 'They tried to steal the election, they tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody's ever imagined, even in other countries,' Trump claimed, without offering any proof. Trump's remarks came as he deflected questions from journalists about the Justice Department's decision to interview Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of helping the financier sexually abuse underage girls and is now serving a lengthy prison sentence. Obama's office slams allegations The office of the former president later hit back with a statement saying Trump's 'bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction'. 'Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,' said Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush. 'But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.' Did Russia interfere with election? A 2017 assessment by the US intelligence community concluded that Russia used social media disinformation, hacking and bot farms to damage Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and bolster Trump. But the same assessment determined that the impact was likely limited and there was no evidence that Russia's efforts altered the election outcome. In 2020, a bipartisan report by the Senate Intelligence Committee – spearheaded by then acting chairman Marco Rubio, now Trump's secretary of state – found that the Trump campaign sought to 'maximise the impact' of leaks of Democratic documents stolen by Russian military intelligence. DW

Trump announces 'massive' Japan trade deal
Trump announces 'massive' Japan trade deal

Observer

time2 days ago

  • Observer

Trump announces 'massive' Japan trade deal

Tokyo - Donald Trump announced Tuesday a 'massive' trade deal with Japan, marking a key breakthrough for major US trade partners as they scramble to strike agreements before the end of the month. In an attempt to slash his country's colossal trade deficit, the US president has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive 'reciprocal' tariffs if they do not hammer out a pact with Washington by August 1. |The breakthrough makes Japan one of five countries to have signed an agreement -- along with Britain, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines -- after Trump promised in April he would get '90 deals in 90 days'. 'We just completed a massive Deal with Japan, perhaps the largest Deal ever made,' he wrote on his Truth Social platform. He said that under the deal, 'Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 billion into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits'. He did not provide further details on the unusual investment plan, but said it 'will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs'. Japanese exports to the United States were already subject to a 10 percent tariff, which would have risen to 25 percent on August 1 without a deal. Duties of 25 percent on Japanese autos -- an industry accounting for eight percent of Japanese jobs -- were also already in place, plus 50 percent on steel and aluminium. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that the auto levy had now been cut to 15 percent, sending Japanese car stocks soaring, with Toyota and Mitsubishi up around 14 percent each. 'We are the first (country) in the world to reduce tariffs on automobiles and auto parts, with no limits on volume,' he told reporters. 'By protecting what needs to be protected, we continued the negotiations to reach an agreement that meets the national interest of both Japan and the United States,' Ishiba added. 'In this agreement with President Trump, I think we were able to realize such an agreement.' - Rice imports - However, Japan's trade envoy Ryosei Akazawa, who secured the deal on his eighth visit to Washington, said the 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium would remain. Akazawa also said that increased defence spending by Japan -- something Trump has pressed for -- was not part of the agreement. Trump said Tuesday that Japan has also agreed to 'open their Country to Trade, including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things'. Rice imports are a sensitive issue in Japan, and Ishiba's government -- which lost its upper house majority in elections on Sunday -- had previously ruled out any concessions. Japan currently imports 770,000 tonnes of rice tariff-free under its World Trade Organization commitments, and Ishiba said it would import more US grain within this. Ishiba said Wednesday that the deal does not 'sacrifice' Japan's agricultural sector. Tatsuo Yasunaga, the chair of Japan Foreign Trade Council, welcomed the trade deal announcement but said the business community needed to see details to assess its impact. 'I highly commend the fact that this major milestone has been achieved and dispelled the uncertainty that private companies had been concerned about,' Yasunaga said. Naomi Omura, an 80-year-old voter, said it was 'disappointing that Japan cannot act more strongly' towards the United States. Tetsuo Momiyama, 81, said that Ishiba 'is finished... It's good timing for him to go.' Reports claimed Wednesday that he aims to step down soon following the election debacle. - China talks - Trump has been under pressure to wrap up trade pacts after promising a flurry of deals ahead of his deadline. The White House on Tuesday also laid out details of a deal with Indonesia, which would see it ease critical mineral export restrictions and also face a 19 percent tariff, down from a threatened 32 percent. Trump also said that levies on the Philippines, another close strategic US ally, would be cut by one percentage point to 19 percent after hosting President Ferdinand Marcos.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store