Ishiba of Japan Says He Will "Make a Decision at the Appropriate Time" Without Expressing Intent to Resign

Secretary-General, Key to Administration, Announces Intention to Step Down

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan stated at a joint meeting of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors of the Liberal Democratic Party that he would "make a decision at the appropriate time," but did not immediately express his intention to resign despite mounting pressure to step down from opposition factions within the party.

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

According to NHK and the Asahi Shimbun on September 2, Prime Minister Ishiba, in his opening remarks at the meeting held at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo, apologized for the party's defeat in the House of Councillors election last July, saying, "As the party leader, the responsibility is mine, and I cannot run away from it." He added, "I am not attached to my position at all and will present the path the Liberal Democratic Party should take," and continued, "That is my responsibility, and I will make a proper decision at the right time without shirking that responsibility." However, he did not specify when that appropriate time would be.

After the meeting, he told reporters that urgent issues the Liberal Democratic Party must address include wage increases, strengthening defense capabilities, and measures for rice prices. He said, "I will judge my responsibility at the appropriate time, but for now, I will devote myself fully to what the people want."

This meeting was organized so that the party's General Affairs Committee, which has been investigating the reasons for the election defeat, could report its analysis to the legislators. In the draft report, the General Affairs Committee cited several reasons for the loss of voter support for the Liberal Democratic Party: the failure to effectively communicate persuasive policies on inflation, issues related to slush funds, delays in utilizing social networking services (SNS) in election campaigns, inadequate responses to issues concerning foreigners, and misunderstandings about the party's identity stemming from the "LGBT Understanding Promotion Act." The committee emphasized, "We are determined to pursue renewal with the resolve to rebuild the party from the ground up and to be reborn as a party of the people."

After the defeat in the House of Councillors (upper house) election last July, demands for Prime Minister Ishiba's resignation arose, especially from anti-Ishiba factions within the party. The Liberal Democratic Party decided to follow the procedures outlined in Article 6, Clause 4 (recall provision) of the party rules to determine whether to proceed. According to the recall provision, a total of 342 people-including 295 party-affiliated legislators and 47 regional chapter representatives-will be asked to vote, and if a majority of at least 172 support the motion, a party leadership election can be held ahead of schedule.

The party's election management committee is expected to begin the process of confirming support or opposition for an early leadership election around September 8. On this day, Hiroshi Moriyama, the Secretary-General whose potential resignation had drawn attention, announced at a press conference after the meeting, "I intend to step down as Secretary-General to take responsibility for the election results," adding, "I will leave the decision regarding my resignation to President Ishiba, who holds the authority to appoint." Moriyama, who has played a key role in Ishiba's administration, had previously suggested that he might resign after the General Affairs Committee's investigation was concluded.

Local media have assessed that it will not be easy to find a successor who can support the administration as effectively as Secretary-General Moriyama, and that if he resigns, Prime Minister Ishiba's administration may face difficulties. After the meeting, Prime Minister Ishiba told reporters, "Secretary-General Moriyama has handled difficult tasks, and I believe it would be hard for anyone else to replace him," suggesting he may not accept Moriyama's resignation. According to Kyodo News, other key party officials, including Itsunori Onodera, Chair of the Policy Research Council, and Shunichi Suzuki, Chair of the General Council, also expressed their intention to resign to Prime Minister Ishiba on this day.