Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba Announces His Resignation as LDP President (UPDATE3)

The Japan News

18:43 JST, September 7, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday announced his intention to resign as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to take responsibility for the party’s crushing defeat in the recent House of Councillors election.

Ishiba made the announcement at a press conference held Sunday evening, saying that “the responsibility for the election results lies with me as the party leader.” He also said he had instructed LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama to proceed with an election to choose a new LDP president.

The prime minister cited significant progress in Japan-U.S. negotiations over U.S. tariffs as the reason for announcing his resignation at this point. Ishiba recently dispatched economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa to Washington, where both countries signed a memorandum of understanding and a relevant executive order was issued by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Ishiba had previously said that he would make a decision on whether to resign at an appropriate time, “after doing what needs to be done.”

“Now that negotiations concerning U.S. tariff measures have attained certain results, I believe this is the appropriate time to step aside and make way for my successor,” Ishiba said.

Regarding the growing movement within the party calling for an extraordinary presidential election, Ishiba said: “I believed it could create a decisive split within the party. This is absolutely not my intention.”

On the issue of dissolving the House of Representatives, which had been discussed within the party, Ishiba said, “I do not deny that various ideas were floated.” He explained that he “reached the decision [to step down] because the government must never allow its functions to become stagnant for the people.”

Following the ruling parties’ defeat in the House of Councillors election in July, four key LDP executives, including Moriyama, expressed their intention to resign from their posts to take responsibility.

There had been growing calls among LDP lawmakers to hold a party presidential election before Ishiba’s term of office expired.

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