Japan PM Ishiba remains firmly in driver’s seat despite setback in Tokyo assembly vote

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party suffered a rout at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election on June 22

PHOTO: REUTERS

Walter Sim

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been

, as he leads a minority government whose Cabinet ratings have been in a perpetual slump since he took office in October 2024.

His ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) also suffered a

at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election on June 22. The poll is regarded as a bellwether for national politics, and a

prelude to an Upper House election on July 20