Prime Minister Ishiba Announces Resignation and Attention turns to Next LDP President
The weekend of September 6th proved to be a hectic two days for both the Liberal Democratic Party(hereinafter called LDP) of Japan and self-identified liberals on the left.
Prime Minister Ishiba announced his resignation.
Under Prime Minister Ishiba, the LDP suffered consecutive crushing defeats in the House of Representatives election, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, and the House of Councillors election.
Despite these losses, Prime Minister Ishiba stubbornly refused to resign, stating “We must not create a political vacuum” and “As the largest party, we have a responsibility…”.
In response, both governing and opposition parties, as well as the public, repeatedly urged him, saying “The people have delivered their judgment” and “You must accept the will of the people”.
Who will be the next LDP president ?!
Did they have a bad feeling ?
People who had been shouting so strongly “Accept the will of the people!” and “Ishiba should take responsibility for the election!” suddenly started shouting “Ishiba, don’t resign!” and even held demonstrations.
And it seems the core of this movement was the supporters of the left-wing opposition parties who call themselves liberals.
One major reason cited for the LDP’s crushing defeat was the withdrawal of support from its conservative base. This clearly confirms that point.
Self-identified liberal leftists point out that even LDP supporters were shouting “Ishiba, don’t resign!”
The reason is that the LDP is the most diverse party. And it’s likely that the majority who remained LDP supporters are liberal-minded people.
Former Prime Minister Kishida, Prime Minister Ishiba, and the LDP appear to have shifted significantly toward the left.
Among the left-wing members of the LDP, some claim the party is “conservative-centrist.” This is one of the common traits among self-identified liberals who insist they are centrist.
Why is discussing national defense labeled as “extreme conservatism” or “extreme right” ?
Japan’s self-identified liberal leftists often insist that “the military is unnecessary (the Self-Defense Forces are unnecessary)” or that “when attacked by another country, we should rely on the spirit of Article 9 of the Constitution…” In other words, it’s as if they’re saying Japan should just disappear.
To such extreme leftists, national defense must indeed appear extreme right.
And many old media outlets doing business in Japan share this same position.
It’s a strange country.
Five people are running for the next presidential election. (as of September 15, 2025)
The LDP is analyzing the results of the House of Councillors election and identifying challenges.
Even so, if they elect someone aligned with former Prime Minister Ishiba as president, it would signal the LDP has completely excluded its conservative base and shifted toward becoming a left-wing party.
In that case, they might be quietly considering plans to revive the governing coalition, such as a grand coalition or merger with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
This is our personal opinion.
We should avoid burdening our children and grandchildren with forever having to reflect and apologize to neighboring countries.
We believe we should learn from past experiences and build constructive relationships with other countries for the future.
For this reason, we consider the upcoming LDP presidential election to be extremely important.
Reference: NIKKEI(2025/07/22)
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA201MA0Q5A720C2000000
Reference: NHK(2025/09/07)
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20250907/k10014915751000.html
Reference: LPD report (2025/09/13)
https://storage2.jimin.jp/pdf/news/information/211343_1.pdf
Reference: ASAHI Shinbun (2025/09/01)
https://www.asahi.com/articles/AST8H3H7ZT8HOXIE018M.html
Thanks.
2025/09/14