Stay or go? Key events give Ishiba time to ponder his future.
Ishiba has reiterated his intention to stay in office — in defiance of growing calls for him to step down from within his Liberal Democratic Party after the party's poor showing in the Upper House election this month.
"I'll manage the nation with my utmost sense of alarm and responsibility to leave a better Japan for the next era," Ishiba said in a speech in the resort town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on Friday.
Earlier that day, Ishiba reportedly told a meeting of ruling and opposition party leaders that he had no plans to resign. But the prime minister could face direct calls for to step down at a meeting of LDP lawmakers from both chambers of parliament that is scheduled for Monday.
Separately, middle-ranking and younger LDP members are seeking to hold a general meeting of party lawmakers to take responsibility for the Upper House election results, effectively urging Ishiba and party executives to resign. On Friday, they said they had collected signatures from one-third of the party's lawmakers, the minimum required to hold such a meeting.
Meanwhile, an extraordinary session of parliament will begin next Friday, with intensive discussions set to be held on the recent Japan-United States tariff agreement.
With the country set to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on Aug. 15, early media reports suggest Ishiba will issue a message in a personal capacity to mark the event, instead of an official statement formally rubber-stamped by the Cabinet. He is also said to be keen on attending as a sitting prime minister the annual peace ceremonies on Aug. 6 and 9 to mark the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively.
In addition, Ishiba has emphasized the importance of an international conference on African development in Yokohama from Aug. 20 to 22. Some in the party appear willing to tolerate Ishiba remaining in office until the conference concludes.
Many in the LDP believe Ishiba will step down after the party conducts a review of the Upper House election in August. On Friday, its Youth Division submitted a written request to the party leadership, urging them to resign after the review.
"The prime minister is expected to step down after the review," a senior party member said.
However, whether this scenario will be realized remains to be seen. On social media, an increasing number of posts have encouraged Ishiba to stay on.
"The prime minister is extremely motivated," one veteran LDP member who recently met with Ishiba said. "Public opinion will also influence his decision on whether to step down."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
an hour ago
- NHK
Nobel Committee Chair calls on young people to carry on legacy of peace
The chair of the committee which awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo has called on the young generations to pass down the experiences of atomic-bomb survivors. Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H- Bomb Sufferers Organizations, represents the survivors of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They are known as hibakusha. Norway's Joergen Frydnes attended an event on nuclear disarmament at Tokyo's Sophia University on Sunday. He appeared at a news conference with Nihon Hidankyo co-chair Tanaka Terumi. Frydnes said his trip marked the first time ever for the Nobel Committee to travel to the home country of a Peace Prize laureate. He said, "This is a unique opportunity to us, and it's a unique time because we are here to listen and to learn, and we believe the world should listen and learn to the voices of the hibakusha." Frydnes said Nihon Hidankyo members "have been instrumental in turning memory, turning pain and suffering into a force for change into a force for peace." He added that ever since the committee announced Nihon Hidankyo's award in October last year, they have seen "social movements, anti-nuclear movements, and civil society and private individuals from all over the world who are re-engaged in the issue of nuclear disarmament." Frydnes said that he believes the 80th anniversary of the attacks in August could be an opportunity for a turning point on the issue. In a speech he gave after the news conference, Frydnes said that many analysts now warn the world is standing on the edge of a "new and more unstable nuclear age." He said the survivors and their supporters "helped the world see with clear eyes what nuclear weapons really mean." He called them "the light the world needs." Frydnes addressed the young people in the room, telling them that they are "the future custodians of this memory" and "the new stewards of this truth." He urged them: "Take up the torch. Do not let silence grow. Tell the stories. Study the history. Resist the forgetting. Raise your voice."
Nikkei Asia
3 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan PM Ishiba's approval rating hits new low of 32%: Nikkei poll
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to make a final decision on his future as early as August. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai) Nikkei staff writers TOKYO -- The approval rating of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's cabinet hit 32%, the lowest since his government's October 2024 launch, in the latest Nikkei/TV Tokyo survey. On the most suitable person to be the next prime minister, former Minister in charge of Economic Security Sanae Takaichi and Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, both of Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, tied for first place at 20% each. They were followed by Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party For the People, at 9%. Ishiba came in fourth at 6%.
Kyodo News
8 hours ago
- Kyodo News
SDF request led to nuclear threat scenario in Japan-U.S. exercise
TOKYO - The Japanese Self-Defense Forces strongly urged the U.S. military during a joint command post exercise last year to mirror any nuclear threat made by China with one of its own, government sources said Sunday. The United States ultimately complied with the request in the simulation exercise that envisioned a potential invasion of Taiwan by Beijing, raising concerns that Japan's push to invoke nuclear deterrence could exacerbate tensions between the United States and China. The request, the first of its kind in a Japan-U.S. joint exercise, was based on Japan's policy of reliance on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for protection, suggesting that both Japanese government and SDF officials see Chinese nuclear saber-rattling as a real possibility in the event of a Taiwan contingency. The Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Japan and the United States named China as a hypothetical enemy for the first time in the computer simulation exercise "Keen Edge" in February last year. During the exercise, the U.S. Navy set up temporary bases in the Nansei island chain in the Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures in the initial stages of a Taiwan contingency, with the SDF providing logistical support. Later in the drill, the scenario assumed that China hinted at the use of nuclear weapons against the United States and Japan, but the U.S. side initially did not take any measures due to concerns over escalating the situation further, according to the sources. Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, ultimately acquiesced to repeated requests by Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, chief of the SDF Joint Staff, for "the United States to counter with nuclear threats to defend Japan." Neither Beijing nor Washington used nuclear arms in the simulation. The two countries announced last December their first guidelines on "extended deterrence," often described as the U.S.'s commitment to using its full range of nuclear and conventional capabilities to defend Japan amid China's growing military activities and North Korea's missile and nuclear development.
