Who could replace Japan's Ishiba as leader of the ruling party?
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a press conference at the headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Tokyo on July 21, 2025, the day after the prime minister's coalition lost its upper house majority. PHILIP FONG/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
TOKYO - Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba plans to announce his resignation by the end of next month, media said on Wednesday, following a bruising defeat in an upper house election.
That step would trigger a leadership race in his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), whose winner would face a vote for prime minister in the lower house of parliament.
But the party and junior coalition partner Komeito lack a majority in the chamber, which could complicate the selection.
Here are the LDP lawmakers who might throw their hats in the ring:
SANAE TAKAICHI, 64:
A Yomiuri newspaper poll following Sunday's election showed Takaichi as the top pick for prime minister in an LDP-led government, with 26% of votes, followed by farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi, at 22%.
Representing the party's right wing, she lost to Ishiba in the September leadership race in a run-off vote. Takaichi previously served as Japan's economic security minister, internal affairs minister and the LDP's policy council chief.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore S'pore's domestic recycling rate drops to all time low of 11%
Singapore HDB launches 10,209 BTO and balance flats, as priority scheme for singles kicks in
Business Singapore's digital banks finding their niche in areas like SMEs as they narrow losses in 2024
Asia Japan Prime Minister Ishiba to resign by August, Mainichi newspaper reports
World Trump says US will charge 19% tariff on goods from Philippines, down from 20%
Asia New Pokemon theme park to open in Japan in early 2026
Singapore Two found dead after fire in Toa Payoh flat
Singapore 2 foreigners arrested for shop theft at Changi Airport
She is known for her conservative views, such as revising the pacifist constitution, and is a regular visitor to the Yasukuni war shrine, viewed by some Asian neighbours as a symbol of past militarism.
She also opposes allowing women to retain their maiden names, saying it would undermine tradition.
Takaichi courted controversy in 2016 when she suggested the government could revoke broadcasting licences of media companies deemed to be politically biased.
SHINJIRO KOIZUMI, 44:
The son of a former prime minister and heir to a political dynasty with a hand in governing Japan for more than a century, he would become its youngest prime minister in eight decades if he succeeded Ishiba.
Koizumi also ran in the last party leadership race, presenting himself as a reformer able to restore public trust in a party mired in scandal.
Unlike Takaichi, who left government after her defeat in that contest, the Columbia University-educated Koizumi stayed close to Ishiba as his agriculture minister, overseeing the release of rice stockpiles in a bid to curb soaring prices of the staple.
TOSHIMITSU MOTEGI, 69:
A former foreign minister, Motegi has a reputation as a tough negotiator and handled talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer when President Donald Trump was last in office.
He has also served as trade minister, economy minister and the party's secretary general.
He studied at the Harvard Kennedy School and worked at the Yomiuri newspaper and consulting firm McKinsey before entering politics in 1993.
Other potential candidates include Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64, and Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato, 69. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Britain leads calls for airdrops as Gaza hunger crisis deepens
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Displaced Palestinians hauling food parcels and other items they managed to get from a GHF aid distribution point, in the central Gaza Strip on July 26. GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories - International pressure was mounting on July 26 for alternative ways to be found to deliver food to hungry Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with Britain vowing to back airdrops. The UK decision to support the plans of regional partners Jordan and the United Arab Emirates came as pro-Palestinian activists piloted a symbolic aid vessel towards the shores of Gaza in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade. On the ground, the territory's civil defence agency said at least 40 more Palestinians had been killed in Israeli military strikes and shootings. Humanitarian chiefs are deeply sceptical that airdrops can deliver enough food to tackle the deepening hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants and are instead demanding that Israel allow more overland convoys. But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the idea, vowing to work with Jordan to restart airdrops – and with France and Germany to develop a plan for a lasting ceasefire. An Israeli official told AFP on July 25 that airdrops in Gaza would resume soon, adding they would be conducted by the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Mr Starmer's office said that in a call with his French and German counterparts, the 'prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar The United Arab Emirates said it would resume airdrops 'immediately'. 'The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical and unprecedented level,' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a post on X. 'Air drops are resuming once more, immediately.' 'Starving civilians' A number of Western and Arab governments carried out air drops in Gaza in 2024, at a time when aid deliveries by land also faced Israeli restrictions, but many in the humanitarian community consider them ineffective. 'Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,' said Mr Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Israel imposed a total blockade on the entry of aid into Gaza on March 2 after talks to extend a ceasefire in the now 21-month-old conflict broke down. In late May, it began to allow a trickle of aid to enter. Israel's military insists it does not limit the number of trucks going into the Gaza Strip, and alleges that UN agencies and relief groups are not collecting the aid once it is inside the territory. But humanitarian organisations accuse the Israeli army of imposing excessive restrictions, while tightly controlling road access within Gaza. A separate aid operation is under way through the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), but has faced fierce international criticism after Israeli fire killed hundreds of Palestinians near distribution points. Naval blockade On July 26, pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla said its latest aid boat, the Handala, was approaching Gaza and had already got closer than its previous vessel, the Madleen, which was intercepted and boarded by Israeli forces in June. The Israeli military said it was monitoring the situation and was prepared to enforce what it called its 'legal maritime security blockade'. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli fire killed 40 people on July 26, including 14 killed in separate incidents near aid distribution centres. One of the 14 was killed 'after Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for humanitarian aid' north-west of Gaza City, the agency said. Witnesses told AFP that several thousand people had gathered in the area. Mr Abu Samir Hamoudeh, 42, said the Israeli military opened fire while people were waiting to approach a distribution point near an Israeli military post in the Zikim area, north-west of Sudaniyah. The Israeli military told AFP that its troops fired 'warning shots to distance the crowd' after identifying an 'immediate threat'. It added that it was not aware of any casualties as a result of the fire. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas' October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. AFP
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Canada condemns Hong Kong arrest warrants targeting pro-democracy activists
Find out what's new on ST website and app. TORONTO - The Canadian government on Saturday condemned Hong Kong authorities issuing arrest warrants for pro-democracy activists based overseas. "The individuals targeted yesterday under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law in Hong Kong include Canadians and people with close ties to Canada," the government said in a statement. "This attempt by Hong Kong authorities to conduct transnational repression abroad, including by issuing threats, intimidation or coercion against Canadians or those in Canada, will not be tolerated." Hong Kong's national security police announced arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent law, marking the largest such tally yet. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Colombia denounces mass deportation of citizens from Ecuador
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Colombians who are deported by the Ecuadorian government line up at the Rumichaca International Bridge in Colombia, July 26, 2025. Colombian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS BOGOTA - Colombia's Foreign Ministry on Friday criticized Ecuador for deporting large numbers of Colombian citizens without a formal protocol, describing it as a "unfriendly gesture," while Quito said the removals followed legal procedures and upheld human rights standards. On Thursday, the Colombian government reported that authorities in the neighboring country had announced plans to deport Colombians currently imprisoned in various Ecuadorian penitentiaries. "Through diplomatic channels, Colombia has formally lodged its strongest protest against the Ecuadorian government for this unfriendly act, and is currently evaluating appropriate measures in response," the Foreign Ministry said Friday night. The ministry emphasized that Ecuador had taken this action "without implementing any protocol to guarantee the safe, orderly, and respectful transfer of detainees, in line with their human rights." Ecuador's Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had notified Colombia via diplomatic channels of individual deportation proceedings starting July 8, and that the process followed the country's legal framework. Authorities underscored their commitment to due process, citing the issuance of individual rulings and judicial release orders. "Ecuador therefore rejects claims of mass deportations," the ministry said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar Meanwhile, Radio Caracol reported that Amilcar Pantoja, mayor of the Colombian border town of Ipiales, confirmed that around 700 Colombian detainees were being sent across the binational bridge without prior official notice. REUTERS
