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Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has said at a news conference that he plans to step down. Ishiba said he will not run in his ruling Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming special leadership contest.


What Ishiba said at the news conference

Ishiba said he strongly believed it was the responsibility of his administration to pave the way for the negotiations on US tariffs, which should be called a national crisis.

He also said that he felt a sense of closure when Japan and the United States signed a memorandum on Japanese investment last week and US President Donald Trump signed an executive order.

Ishiba: I always said that I wouldn't cling to this post, and would decide to resign at an appropriate time after doing what I needed to do. Now is the time for me to resign as the negotiations on US tariffs have come to an end, and I decided to pass the baton to the next person. I made a painful decision to step down, thinking about some issues I needed to accomplish. I thought a decisive division within the party could be created if the issue of an extraordinary presidential election continued to develop. That is not what I wanted.

Ishiba said he feels very sorry for the people that he has decided to resign from his post in such a way.

Ishiba: I hope people will fully understand as I will continue fulfilling my duties during my remaining time in office.

He said he had told LDP Secretary-General Moriyama Hiroshi to carry out procedures for the presidential election based on the party's rules.

Ishiba said he hopes the party will begin the process of choosing a new president.


Ruling parties react

Former Defense Minister Inada Tomomi, an LDP member, said, "It must have been a very difficult decision for the prime minister."

Inada: I think it was the best decision for him to unify the party and avoid division.

Saito Tetsuo, the chief representative of the LDP's coalition partner, Komeito, called the announcement deeply regrettable.

Saito: Prime Minister Ishiba had consistently sought cooperation from opposition parties on each political issue and succeeded in gaining their support. Such efforts deserve proper recognition.


Opposition party reactions

The leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, Noda Yoshihiko, voiced concern about the ongoing political vacuum. Noda stressed that dealing with rising prices is an urgent matter.

Noda: I believe his intention to remain in office was quite strong, but he may have exhausted all the available options.

Democratic Party for the People President Tamaki Yuichiro said Ishiba delayed his resignation for too long, and as a result, the situation was unnecessarily prolonged.

Tamaki: The key issue now is when and in what manner he will actually step down, and when the leadership election will be moved up. The LDP must swiftly bring this situation to a close without further extending the political vacuum, and promptly create an environment where measures against rising prices and other issues can be addressed.


People react to Ishiba's decision to step down

NHK asked passersby in Tokyo's Shibuya district about Ishiba's decision to resign.

A tourist in her 40s from Kyoto Prefecture said she was surprised as she had believed Ishiba would stay in office, and that his aides would leave their posts to take responsibility. She said she feels worried about what will happen from now.

A Tokyo resident in his 30s said he thinks what Ishiba did as prime minister was "simply not good." He said he could not see at all what kind of benefits the prime minister was able to bring to Japan.

He said he thinks Ishiba's resignation was a natural outcome, and that he could have stepped down sooner.

He said he hopes someone who can better communicate with other nations as Japan's leader and is capable of steering the country will become prime minister.

A Tokyo resident in his 80s said he thinks Ishiba lost a power struggle. He said members of the ruling party are caught up in infighting without resolving its slush-fund scandal.

He added that LDP members seem unconcerned about the public. The man said Ishiba did not accomplish much, but that he feels sorry for the prime minister as he has been in office for less than one year.

A woman in her 40s from Chiba Prefecture said prices have stayed high and nothing has changed, so she hopes a new prime minister will make things better. But she said she is not really expecting much, and thinks things will remain the same no matter who takes the post.



Ishiba's 11 months as prime minister

Ishiba took office last October and pledged to tackle inflation as well as to reform the party.

The LDP has been involved in a series of political fundraising scandals.
Shortly after he took power, the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in a Lower House election. The ruling coalition also fell short of a majority in an Upper House election in July.

Amid growing calls for Ishiba to take responsibility for the election result, the LDP had been expected to decide on Monday whether to hold a special leadership contest.

Ishiba met former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro at his office on Saturday. Sources say Suga and Koizumi told Ishiba that party unity is more important than anything else and suggested he step down before Diet members submit documents on a special leadership election.