When Ishiba Would Resign May Depend on Upcoming Political Events

Despite Ishiba reiterating his intention to stay in office, calls for his resignation are growing within his Liberal Democratic Party after the party's poor showing in the House of Councillors 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 the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties that he had not said he would resign.

Ishiba could face direct calls for his resignation at a meeting of LDP lawmakers in both Diet chambers scheduled for Monday.

Separately, middle-ranking and younger LDP members are seeking to hold a general meeting of LDP lawmakers to question the prime minister's responsibility. 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 Diet session will begin next Friday, with intensive discussions set to be held on the recent Japan-United States tariff agreement.

With the country set to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in August, Ishiba is eager to conduct a review of the war. 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, as well as the war-end anniversary ceremony on Aug. 15.

In addition, Ishiba is emphasising the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD 9, which will be held in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, for three days from Aug. 20. Some in the party seem willing to tolerate Ishiba remaining in office until the conference.

Many in the party believe that 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 realised remains to be seen. On social media, an increasing number of posts encourage Ishiba to stay on.

"The prime minister is extremely motivated," said a veteran LDP member who recently met with Ishiba. "Public opinion will also influence his decision on whether to step down."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]