Pressure Mounts for Ishiba to Step Down in Japan... Two Days Before the Decisive Day

As the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan is set to decide on September 8 whether to hold an early leadership election, internal pressure is mounting for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to step down.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is giving a speech in Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture. Photo by Yonhap News

According to major foreign media outlets including the Yomiuri Shimbun on September 6, a recent survey conducted among lawmakers and local party organizations eligible to participate in the decision on an early leadership election found that 149 out of 342 respondents expressed support. This is an increase of 21 from the previous week’s 128 supporters.

Notably, for the first time among current cabinet ministers, Minister of Justice Keisuke Suzuki publicly expressed his support the previous day. He is a member of the Aso faction, led by former Prime Minister Taro Aso, who has also declared support.

However, this is still 23 short of the required 172 votes needed to pass. The fate of Prime Minister Ishiba will likely be determined by how much the number of supporters increases over the weekend.

In the same survey, 43 respondents opposed the early election, while the rest either remained undecided or did not respond.

Previously, after the Liberal Democratic Party’s defeat in the House of Councillors (upper house) election in July, calls for Prime Minister Ishiba’s resignation emerged, particularly among anti-Ishiba factions. In response, the party invoked Article 6, Clause 4 (the recall provision) of its rules to formally decide whether to proceed. According to the recall provision, if a majority-at least 172 out of the total 342, which includes 295 party lawmakers and 47 representatives from regional chapters-support the motion, the leadership election can be moved up.

The party’s Leadership Election Management Committee will determine whether to hold an early election by collecting signed and stamped documents from lawmakers in favor, which must be submitted to party headquarters between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on September 8. Representatives of regional chapters may submit their documents by email or post. Those not demanding an early election are not required to submit any documents.

Prime Minister Ishiba’s original term as party leader runs until September 2027. While he is technically eligible to run again if an early leadership election is held, many observers believe this would be difficult in practice.