Few, if any, observers of Japanese politics were surprised by the announcement Sunday that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was resigning.
The losses of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in recent elections reduced it to a minority in both houses of parliament, marking the first time since 2009 that the party has lost control of the lower house. Ishiba was in power when President Donald Trump reduced tariffs on Japan from 27.5% to 15%, and, according to reports, the two leaders signed an agreement in which Japan agreed to invest $550 million in the U.S.
In a climate of political uncertainty for the world’s fourth-largest economy, Ishiba was Japan’s fourth prime minister in five years. His announced exit focused international attention on the runner-up to Ishiba in the last race for the LDP — former Minister for Economic Security Sanae Takaichi.
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