Japan PM Ishiba denies reports that he is about to resign

Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

Tan Min-Wei

July 23, 2025, 05:43 PM

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has denied saying that he will resign imminently, despite persistent rumours that he intends to resign after disastrous upper house election results.

Nothing is true

Reports early on Jul. 23 by Japanese media said that Ishiba had indicated to colleagues in Japan’s government that he intends to resign, possibly by August or by the end of August.

But The Japan Times reported later the same day that Ishiba had denied initial reports, being quoted as saying that “nothing that has been reported is true”.

The initial report of Ishiba’s resignation was carried by Mainichi Shimbun, which said that Ishiba had told those close to him that he intended to resign, and would be meeting heavyweights in the Liberal Democratic Party to “discuss his future”.

Everything is permitted

Ishiba is under pressure from within the LDP after disastrous upper house election results left the party and its coalition partners without a majority in either the upper or lower houses or parliament.

Ishiba called a snap election in October 2024, which saw the party lose its majority in the lower house.

Nikkei reported that Japan voted amidst a cost-of-living crisis, high inflation, and stagnant wage growth.

Ishiba had initially said that he intended to stay on to conduct trade talks with the United States, but on July 23, it was announced that Japan had reached a trade deal with the U.S. that saw its tariff rate cut from 25 to 15 per cent.

The Re-Match

Despite Ishiba denying he is resigning, news outlets continue to speculate about his possible replacements.

Ishiba came to power in September 2024 after winning a highly publicised nine-way battle, referred to as “The Match”.

Many of his opponents are likely waiting in the wings, looking to take over should Ishiba call it quits.

Bloomberg went through a list of potential candidates, with many familiar names from the 2024 contest reappearing, such as the son of former PM Junichiro Koizumi, Shinjiro Koizumi, and Sanae Takaichi.

But perhaps a surprising addition to the list is Ishiba’s predecessor, Fumio Kishida, who was PM from 2021 to 2024.

Kishida resigned in part due to his proximity to a financial scandal, but could take after his own immediate predecessor, Shinzo Abe.

Abe served as PM for a year before resigning, only to make a comeback with a far more successful eight-year stint.

The LDP might try to tap into the relative stability of Kishida’s tenure, in the light of eroding support under Ishiba.