Ishiba Steps Down as Japan’s Prime Minister, Citing Trade Talks and Election Setbacks

By Florenda Corpuz

TOKYO – Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned on Sept. 7, bringing an abrupt end to his 11-month administration after navigating difficult trade negotiations with the United States and acknowledging responsibility for his party’s election losses. 

At a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo, the 68-year-old premier said he had formally quit as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), setting in motion an emergency leadership race to choose his successor. 

“I have always said I am not attached to my position, and that I would decide at the right time after accomplishing what needed to be done,” Ishiba told reporters. 

He pointed to last week’s signing of a bilateral investment memorandum and a U.S. executive order on tariffs as marking a natural conclusion to his government’s negotiations with Washington. He also acknowledged that the LDP’s poor performance in recent national elections fell under his responsibility as party chief. 

“With the U.S. tariff negotiations now concluded, I believe this is the appropriate timing,” he said. “I have decided to step aside and hand over leadership to my successor.” 

Ishiba, who took office in October 2024 after finally winning the LDP leadership on his fifth attempt, served as Japan’s 102nd prime minister. His resignation comes less than a year after replacing Fumio Kishida, who stepped down amid sliding approval ratings. 

The LDP will now hold an emergency leadership vote. Unlike in the past, the winner is not automatically assured of becoming prime minister, as the ruling coalition lost its majority in both houses of parliament earlier this summer. 

Potential contenders include former Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi, 64; Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 44; and former Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64. On Monday, another heavyweight, former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, 69, declared his candidacy. 

The uncertainty rattled markets, with the yen weakening and government bond yields rising on concerns over political instability in the world’s fourth-largest economy. 

Until a new LDP leader is chosen, Ishiba pledged to continue his duties “with steadfast responsibility” and oversee a smooth handover. “I will entrust the future to the new president and prime minister,” he said. 

While the LDP has dominated Japanese politics for most of the postwar era, Ishiba’s exit has opened a rare path for opposition figures. Among those being floated are former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, 68, of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Yuichiro Tamaki, 56, a former Finance Ministry bureaucrat.