Premier says he would remain in office to oversee tariff talks with US, but analysts say he faces political headwinds.
Published On 20 Jul 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he will remain in office after his ruling coalition suffered a defeat in upper house elections, prompting some of his own party to deliberate his future as the opposition weighed a no-confidence motion.
The embattled premier told a news conference on Monday that he would remain in office to oversee tariff talks with the United States and other pressing matters such as rising consumer prices that are straining the world’s fourth largest economy.
“Changes in the external environment, such as the international situation, or natural disasters, cannot wait for the political situation to improve,” Ishiba told reporters.
“For this reason, although I’m acutely aware of our grave responsibility for the election results, in order to not let politics become stagnant, I believe I must fulfil my responsibility as the party with the most votes and to the people of the country, while listening carefully and sincerely to the voices of the local people,” he said.
Ishiba’s coalition won 47 seats in the 248-seat House of Councillors in Sunday’s election, three short of the 50 it needed to retain control of the upper chamber. The outcome left Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and junior partner Komeito with a combined 122 deputies in the upper chamber, which fills half of its seats in elections every three years.
Amid widespread discontent over rising living costs, the far-right Sanseito party broke into the political mainstream, picking up 14 seats on top of its one existing seat. The party, which only holds three seats in the National Diet, capitalised on voter frustration over inflation and Japan’s moribund economy with warnings about immigration and populist pledges on tax cuts and social welfare.
The result marks another serious blow for Ishiba, whose government is locked in high-stakes trade negotiations with US President Donald Trump’s administration.
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