Ishiba Faces Resignation Calls After Election Setback

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is experiencing increasing pressure to resign following the Liberal Democratic Party's poor performance in the recent Upper House election.

On July 25th, Hiroyoshi Sasagawa, a senior farm vice minister, informed reporters that a group of younger lawmakers had gathered enough signatures for a petition. This petition requests a joint plenary meeting of members from both Diet chambers. Such a meeting holds significant authority within the party, second only to the party convention, and is used for making critical decisions, especially those requiring immediate attention.

A decision on whether to submit the petition to party executives will be made after a less formal meeting on July 28th. This meeting will include LDP Diet members, and Ishiba will be asked to clarify his future plans. Party regulations dictate that a joint plenary meeting must be convened within seven days if over one-third of LDP Diet members request it. Approximately 100 Diet members' signatures are needed to meet this requirement.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised about the petition's binding nature, as the final decision to hold a joint plenary meeting rests with LDP executives. Other party bodies are also pressuring Ishiba, who is 68 years old, to resign.

On July 25th, the LDP Youth Division submitted a request to Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, urging party executives to take responsibility after evaluating the Upper House election results. Youth Division Director Yasutaka Nakasone, 43, confirmed that the request was essentially a call for Ishiba to step down.

Despite the mounting pressure, Ishiba remains resolute. During a speech on July 25th in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, at the Keidanren summer forum, he stated his commitment to governing with a heightened sense of responsibility to create a better future for Japan. Earlier that day, Ishiba met with opposition party leaders to discuss the agreement with the United States on reciprocal tariffs and reiterated his intention to remain in office.