Ishiba Vows to Stay as Prime Minister Despite Consecutive Election Defeats, Says "No Stagnation in State Affairs"

"We Must Fulfill Our Responsibilities as the Largest Party"

Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan, has stated his intention to remain in office despite suffering a major defeat in the House of Councillors (upper house) election.

On July 21, Prime Minister Ishiba cited policy challenges such as the US-Japan tariff negotiations, high inflation, natural disasters, and the security environment. He said, "The most important thing right now is to avoid causing stagnation in state affairs," expressing his stance.

Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

He also said, "As the largest party, we must fulfill our responsibilities to the nation and the people."

Prime Minister Ishiba reported that he met with Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito Party, and confirmed that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito would work together to manage the government. He added, "I also want to find common ground on the direction of new politics through sincere discussions with parties other than Komeito."

However, regarding the expansion of the coalition, he drew a clear line, saying, "At this point, I have no intention of expanding it."

When asked how long he intends to remain as prime minister, Ishiba replied, "I am not thinking about a specific time frame," and added, "I will devote my full efforts to solving important issues."

Regarding the US-Japan tariff negotiations, he said, "With August 1 in mind, both countries will work toward a mutually beneficial agreement," and added, "I myself will try to speak directly with President Donald Trump as soon as possible to achieve results."

On the election results, Ishiba said, "We have received an extremely severe judgment."

Regarding calls from some within the party for his resignation, he stated, "It is natural for there to be various opinions within the party," and added, "I will listen to those voices carefully and respond appropriately," drawing a clear line.

Even after exit polls predicting the ruling party's defeat in the House of Councillors election were announced the previous day, Ishiba appeared on NHK and said, "We must be aware of the responsibilities of the largest party. We must fulfill those responsibilities."

The House of Councillors election is held every three years to elect half of its 248 members, meaning 124 seats are contested each time. In this election, a total of 125 members were elected, including 75 from local constituencies (with one vacancy in the Tokyo district) and 50 through proportional representation. Prime Minister Ishiba had aimed for the ruling LDP-Komeito coalition to maintain a majority in the House of Councillors (50 seats), but they managed to win only 47 seats.

With Prime Minister Ishiba suffering consecutive defeats in both last year's House of Representatives election and this election, calls for him to take responsibility are emerging within the Liberal Democratic Party.