Ishiba reiterates intention to stay in office

Ishiba denied media reports that he will announce his resignation as early as this month, telling reporters, "I have never made such remarks."

He promised to "make full efforts to protect people's lives," referring to the Japan-US tariff agreement that US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday.

Ishiba, who leads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, made the comments after an 80-minute meeting with his predecessors Taro Aso, Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida. "My fate was not discussed at all" at the meeting, the prime minister said.

The former prime ministers told Ishiba to review the results of the House of Councillors election as soon as possible and listen to rank-and-file LDP members and regional chapters, according to LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, who was present at the meeting.

Moriyama told reporters that the LDP will hold a meeting of lawmakers from both chambers of parliament ahead of schedule on Monday to set up a body in charge of the review. He said the results of the review will be compiled by the end of August.

When asked by reporters if the meeting of the current and former prime ministers had an atmosphere of accepting Ishiba's desire to stay on, one former prime minister said, "That's not true."

A senior LDP member said that Ishiba will announce his resignation after reviewing the election results in August.

The meeting of the current and former prime ministers came as LDP members are increasingly against Ishiba's decision to stay on.

Young LDP members met online to discuss the election results. The majority of the participants sought Ishiba's immediate resignation, Yasutaka Nakasone, director of the party's Youth Division, told reporters.

Ishiba also came under increasing pressure from the LDP's prefectural chapters to step down. The Hokkaido chapter's youth division demanded his immediate resignation on Wednesday.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]