Demonstrators Gather to Support Ishiba Amid Growing Calls for His Resignation

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:03 JST, July 26, 2025

Calling out phrases such as “Hang on, Ishiba,” a group of demonstrators rallied in front of the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday night for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to continue in his post.

The rally came after posts on social media expressed support for Ishiba. The hashtag “Don’t quit Ishiba” went viral amid growing calls for his resignation. A statement distributed at the rally criticized a possible successor as being on the extreme right and a populist. Ishiba is also president of the LDP. The statement added that Ishiba can engage in proper debate with opposition parties in the Diet.

Participants chanted, “Hang on, Ishiba,” during the rally. “I fear a situation in which a right-wing LDP lawmaker becomes prime minister and Japan heads toward exclusionism,” said a 70-year-old participant from Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture.