Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru Decides to Resign Why Did Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru Decide to Resign? Trending Topics #

Seeing that Ishiba Shigeru has taken all the blame, this "blame-taker prime minister" was finally kicked out by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

According to Japan Broadcasting Corporation, on the 7th, Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru announced that he decided to resign, citing "not wanting intra-party division" as the reason.

As Ishiba said, his resignation was a result of pressure from within the LDP.

Since early September, top figures in the LDP, led by Asō Taro, once again initiated a new round of "anti-Ishiba" campaign:

First, LDP Secretary-General Moriyama Hiroyuki, Policy Research Council Chairman Onoji Go, Director of the General Affairs Department Suzuki Shunichi, and Election Strategy Committee Chairman Kikuchi Seiji, four LDP officials, resigned under pressure for the July House of Councillors election defeat, directly undermining Ishiba's leadership within the party.

The LDP has already made two preparations: if they cannot persuade Ishiba to resign, they will announce the results of the coup vote on the 8th.

Moriyama, the LDP secretary-general, is seen as one of Ishiba's core allies. His resignation not only weakened Ishiba's power within the party but also indicated that Ishiba's core support within the LDP had already collapsed.

Following this, the anti-Ishiba faction within the LDP began to initiate a vote to hold an early presidential election. Preliminary voting results showed that the majority of LDP members supported an early presidential election, meaning they wanted Ishiba to step down.

Therefore, before the official vote results were released, on the evening of the 6th, Koizumi Jin'ichirō and Abe Yoshihiko urged Ishiba to voluntarily announce his resignation, citing "the LDP cannot split" as their reason.

According to the Japanese media Asahi Shimbun, Abe spent about 30 minutes talking with Ishiba before leaving, while Koizumi stayed at the Prime Minister's Office for about two hours. Finally, Ishiba decided to resign in a dignified manner before being forced by the vote results.

As mentioned above, Ishiba became prime minister because he was originally a "blame-taker" pushed up by various factions within the LDP.

The central and local LDP legislators have all demanded Ishiba to step down.

Last year's background of the Japanese prime ministerial election was that the LDP was caught in a black money scandal and Trump was making a comeback, while 2025 marked the 80th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender. Therefore, no one in the LDP wanted to take on this "hot potato," so Ishiba, who had failed multiple times to run for prime minister, was eventually pushed into the prime minister's seat.

However, when Ishiba had taken all the blame and was asked to step down by other LDP factions, he himself was unwilling: he wanted to stay in office until the end of his term. So, since Ishiba was so "ungrateful," the subsequent events were the LDP factions forcing him out.

Koizumi Jin'ichirō and Abe Yoshihiko

Now that Ishiba has been forced to resign, the next step naturally involves selecting a new LDP president and prime minister.

If we look only at the Japanese media reports, the current highest呼声 are Takahashi Sanae and Koizumi Jin'ichirō, but how should we say about these two people?

Takahashi Sanae is a typical right-wing extremist, advocating for amending the peaceful constitution and renaming the Self-Defense Forces as the "National Defense Forces." She is extremely hostile toward China and frequently challenges the "red line" on the Taiwan issue. Therefore, if Takahashi Sanae comes to power, she would only lead Japan faster into the pit of militarism.

Koizumi Jin'ichirō is a performative politician. His image is good, but his ability to handle affairs is often criticized. In this regard, many netizens have watched Koizumi Jin'ichirō's interviews, which mainly feature "irrelevant answers and empty talk."

Since the assassination of Abe Shinzō, the Japanese prime ministerial election has become a selection of the least unsuitable candidate.

Here's a side note. Koizumi Jin'ichirō's performance in addressing the sharp increase in rice prices seems good, but it's not because he actually has the capability. It's because his father is former Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichirō, and his family is one of the deep-rooted political families in Japan, so the Japanese agricultural association has to give him some face.

Therefore, considering the need for stability and the conservative nature of the Japanese political scene, the LDP may not accept Takahashi Sanae, who is extreme and female, or Koizumi Jin'ichirō, who lacks political experience, as the new prime minister.

The next Japanese prime minister is most likely to be a veteran politician who can serve as a "patchwork" figure to continue sitting in that position and doing nothing.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7547270320516907570/

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