Japan PM Ishiba's expected exit tips ruling LDP into crisis mode
dismissed as 'completely unfounded' media reports that he had already decided to step down. But analysts contend that his departure is all but inevitable after the LDP's second consecutive loss and the collapse of his minority government in both houses of the Diet.
The focus now shifts to who might succeed Ishiba and whether the wounded party, riven by deepening internal schisms, will be able to reclaim the political centre or veer further to the right.
Analysts say the party must decide whether to rally behind a moderate successor in the mould of Ishiba or his predecessor
Fumio Kishida , or embrace a rightward shift in an attempt to recover voters drawn to nationalist challengers
such as Sanseito and the Conservative Party of Japan.
02:04
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to resign by the end of the month
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to resign by the end of the month
'Ishiba's resignation was inevitable,' Hiromi Murakami, a professor of political science at Temple University's Tokyo campus, told This Week in Asia.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
38 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
South Korea pitches ‘Make American Shipbuilding Great Again' plan to avert Trump tariffs
South Korea is pitching the US on a shipbuilding partnership as a key proposal to seal a last-minute agreement to avoid a 25 per cent tariff rate. While details remain unclear, Yonhap News reported that South Korea has proposed a multibillion-dollar project dubbed 'Make American Shipbuilding Great Again' (Masga). South Korea's Industry Ministry declined to comment. 'We confirmed the US side's strong interest in the shipbuilding sector and the two countries agreed to work together to develop mutually acceptable terms that include shipbuilding cooperation,' South Korea's presidential office said in a statement on Saturday. As countries across Asia clinched deals last week, Seoul's negotiators have been racing to stay engaged with their US counterparts as Washington shifted its focus to the European Union and China. The US and EU announced a pact on Sunday that will see the bloc face 15 per cent tariffs on most of its exports to the US, including automobiles. The latest agreement, which follows a Japan deal last week , adds to the pressure on Asia's fourth-largest economy to clinch a deal. South Korea, where negotiations have been slowed by internal political turmoil, is one of the biggest Asian economies to still be without a deal. In addition to China India is another major exporter in the region currently engaged in negotiations.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
As Malaysia hosts Thailand-Cambodia peace talks, suspicion lingers
The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia were set to hold truce talks on Monday as a deadly border dispute entered its fifth day, with pressure mounting for a ceasefire from both China and the United States, which has threatened to halt any tariff deals until the fighting ends. At least 35 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since Thursday , when a long-simmering territorial dispute boiled over into open conflict along the nations' shared frontier. More than 200,000 people in both countries have been forced from their homes by the relentless gunfights, artillery barrages and Thai air strikes, while tens of thousands of Cambodian migrant labourers have fled Thailand, fearing reprisals as nationalist sentiment intensifies on both sides. Fresh clashes were reported on Monday, even as Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, prepared to meet Cambodia's leader, Hun Manet, in Kuala Lumpur. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai (front) departs for Malaysia from a military airport in Bangkok on Monday. Photo: Thai Government Spokesman Office / AP Phumtham sought to temper hopes of a swift ceasefire, telling reporters as he departed for the Malaysian capital: 'We do not believe Cambodia is acting in good faith, based on their actions.'
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Malaysia's Anwar dares rivals to hold no-confidence vote: ‘be my guest'
Faced with street protests calling for him to resign amid a rising tide of public discontent, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has challenged the opposition camp to present a no-confidence vote against him. Advertisement More than 20,000 protesters marched through Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, demanding Anwar's resignation in an opposition-led rally, the first he has faced since becoming prime minister. Protesters march in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday during a rally calling for Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to resign. Photo: Retuers The opposition has accused him of failing to deliver on election promises and mismanaging the economy. On Sunday, Anwar directly addressed opposition leader Hamzah Zainuddin's hints that a no-confidence motion was looming, saying he welcomed the opportunity to prove his parliamentary support. 'Be my guest, we welcome it,' Anwar said to reporters. 'This is the right process. If he wants to table it, then table it. He has been saying he wants to do it for three years now.' A protester holds a sign calling for Anwar to resign during a rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Photo: EPA The opposition bloc, comprising Islamist party PAS and Malay nationalist party Bersatu, has consistently questioned Anwar's control of Malaysia's 222-seat parliament since his appointment as prime minister in November 2022 . Hamzah has repeatedly suggested he will initiate a no-confidence motion 'any time; tomorrow, next week or next election'.
