Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba may resign in August

Election results

Sunday’s vote was a major blow to Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito. For the first time in modern history, the ruling coalition lost its majority in both houses of parliament.

In the upper house, the coalition now controls fewer than half of the 248 seats, severely limiting the government’s ability to pass legislation. The Sanseito party, often described as far-right, increased its representation from 2 seats to 14.

US trade deal

When asked about his future, Ishiba said he could not comment until he had thoroughly reviewed the details of the trade agreement with the United States.

Late Tuesday night, President Donald Trump announced what he called a “major deal” with Japan. Under the agreement, tariffs on Japanese cars will be set at 15 percent instead of the initially proposed 25 percent. Trump also said Japan would open its markets to American cars, trucks, rice and other agricultural products.

Ongoing negotiations with Washington were one of the main reasons Ishiba decided to remain in office after his election defeat. Now that the deal has been reached, he may decide to step down.

Growing discontent within the party

Pressure on the prime minister is mounting not only from outside but also within his own party. Younger and mid-ranking LDP lawmakers have begun collecting signatures to call for a party-wide meeting to hold Ishiba accountable for the election defeat. Dissatisfaction with his leadership is also spreading among regional chapters.

Complicated succession process

Ishiba’s resignation, less than a year into his term, would trigger a leadership election within the LDP. However, it will be extremely difficult for the new prime minister to secure the necessary votes in parliament now that the ruling coalition has lost its majority in both houses.

Earlier, Kazinform News Agency reported that Japan's ruling coalition had lost its upper house majority.