Japan PM Ishiba suggests he’s not fixated on power as ruling party meets

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he had no intention of simply clinging to his post for the sake of power, as ruling party lawmakers weigh whether to call for an early leadership election to oust the beleaguered Prime Minister.

“I will accept any criticism, but it is also my responsibility to see things through for the party,” Mr Ishiba said on Sept 2 at the opening of a plenary meeting to discuss an election setback that saw the ruling coalition lose control of the Upper House. 

Mr Ishiba has repeated his intention to stay on despite calls within his party to see him go.

The toned-down remarks on Sept 2 highlight the delicate balancing act of steering a party while some are frustrated with his leadership, even as his approval rating rises in public opinion polls. 

In his remarks, Mr Ishiba apologised for the many seats that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost in July, but also spoke of the need to push through economic policies and connect with the public. 

“We need to show the path towards achieving wage growth that exceeds inflation,” Mr Ishiba said, adding that he also must see through the economic challenges that remain, including trade talks with the US. 

The ruling party finalised on Sept 2 a report on why it lost seats in the Upper House election.

In a copy of the report seen by Bloomberg, the LDP ascribed the loss to the party itself, without singling out Mr Ishiba as a factor.

The reasons raised included the lack of appeal of the LDP’s inflation countermeasures, as well as previous political scandals and a failure to attract younger voters. 

The report is likely to inform some politicians on whether to continue supporting Mr Ishiba’s administration or call for an early leadership race before his term ends in 2027. 

If over half of LDP lawmakers and regional branch representatives submit a written request, the party is obliged to move up the leadership race, per party protocol.

That decision is likely to come as early as Sept 8, according to local media reports.

A poll of LDP parliamentarians and regional representatives conducted by the Yomiuri newspaper and released on Aug 31 showed that 128 out of 342 would call for an early contest, compared with 33 who said they would not.

About half of respondents were undecided on what choice they would make in the vote, leaving it unclear whether the LDP will be pushing for an early leadership race.

On Sept 1, Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, whose name has been floated as a potential future prime minister, said on a live TV broadcast that he will “consider what to do after taking a proper look at the review”.

Some politicians have already broken rank without waiting for the election review to explicitly call for an early contest.

“If I am asked to resign from my post as state minister because of my support for moving up the leadership race, then I will do so,” Mr Hiroaki Saito, an LDP lawmaker who currently serves as state minister of finance, wrote on Aug 31 in a post on social media platform X. 

Although some within the LDP are disgruntled with Mr Ishiba, the Prime Minister still has some support from the broader public, with recent polls showing an increase in his approval ratings. 

In late August, Mr Ishiba’s popularity rose 12.5 points compared with the previous month to 35.4 per cent in a Kyodo poll, while a Yomiuri survey showed a jump of 17 points to 39 per cent.

A separate poll by the Mainichi newspaper saw a four-point increase to 33 per cent. 

The Kyodo poll also showed an 11.6-point decrease in respondents who thought Mr Ishiba should quit, putting the percentage of people who thought he should continue at 57.5 per cent as opposed to 40 per cent who believed he should stand down.

With the release of the report on Sept 2, the focus will turn to whether LDP secretary-general Hiroshi Moriyama will take responsibility by standing down. Losing his No. 2 within the party would be a blow to Mr Ishiba’s influence within the LDP. BLOOMBERG