Ishiba joins a long list of Japanese prime ministers who have lasted only about a year in office
🇯🇵 Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on Sunday he is resigning to make way for a new leader.
His decision comes less than a year after he assumed the premiership in October 2024.
This triggers an emergency presidential race within the ruling, but fractured, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Why it matters: Ishiba said the resignation was aimed at preventing a "decisive split" within the LDP, whose hold on power has weakened significantly on his watch.
The LDP, Japan's dominant party for most of the last 70 years, now must rule through a coalition with the Komeito party and other smaller parties.
The backstory 📉: The move preempted a party vote where a majority of LDP parliamentarians were expected to force a leadership election.
Analysts attribute the setbacks to public dismay over inflation and internal party issues that predate Ishiba's leadership.
Lessons from the past: Ishiba joins a long list of Japanese prime ministers who have lasted only about a year in office, continuing a pattern of frequent leadership turnover.
What to watch 👀: Speculation is now focused on potential successors.
The leadership will likely be contested by Sanae Takaichi, a conservative who narrowly lost to Ishiba in 2024, and Shinjiro Koizumi. Other candidates are also expected to emerge.
The bottom line: The LDP faces "extreme strain" as its factions battle over how to steer Japan through steep inflation, demographic decline, and a worsening geopolitical environment. The rise of small, populist opposition parties attracting younger voters has worsened these strains.