Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced Sunday he will step down from his post after weeks of mounting pressure for his resignation.
“I made a difficult decision to step down,” Ishiba said during a press briefing, in comments translated by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. He added that it is his “strong wish” for members of his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to overcome the “difficult divide” within the party.
Ishiba indicated that he had been thinking about his position as prime minister since last year’s election, but that it was a matter of finding the right timing. The prime minister added that he was able to announce his resignation when he saw that certain results were being delivered with a U.S. tariff agreement.
The prime minister called for the LDP to hold an emergency leadership race in which he said he will not take part. He will continue his duties until a new successor has been found, he told reporters.
The world’s fourth-largest economy has been plagued with political uncertainty since the LDP lost its parliament majority in a snap election late last year. The election marked the first time since 2009 that the LDP has lost its majority. Pressure mounted when Japan’s ruling coalition lost control of the upper house in July.
