Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office
What happened
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office, despite exit polls indicating that his Liberal Democratic Party's ruling coalition has lost its majority in the country's upper house. The LDP-Komeito coalition surrendered its majority in the lower house last year, and defeat in Sunday's tightly-contested election could further undermine its influence.
Who said what
There is "frustration" with Ishiba, the LDP and Komeito over rising prices, inflation, a "string of political scandals" and the "threat of U.S. tariffs," said the BBC. The election "exposed a growing generational fissure" in Japan, with the "biggest gains" going to a "gaggle of new parties that drew younger voters with stridently nationalist messages," said The New York Times. The "fringe far-right" Sanseito party made gains with its "Japanese First" campaign, said Reuters.
What next?
Ishiba said he "solemnly" accepted the "harsh result." He vowed to "deal with" the "many issues" facing the country, including reaching a trade deal with the Trump administration. A new leader now would "almost certainly unleash political drama," said the BBC, and "destabilize Japan's government at a pivotal moment in U.S.-Japan trade negotiations."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Antonia Romeo and Whitehall’s women problemThe Explainer Before her appointment as cabinet secretary, commentators said hostile briefings and vetting concerns were evidence of ‘sexist, misogynistic culture’ in No. 10
-
Local elections 2026: where are they and who is expected to win?The Explainer Labour is braced for heavy losses and U-turn on postponing some council elections hasn’t helped the party’s prospects
-
6 of the world’s most accessible destinationsThe Week Recommends Experience all of Berlin, Singapore and Sydney
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
