key takeaways
- Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru’s position looks increasingly tenuous following revelations of possibly illegal gifts to junior Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers.
- His opponents within the LDP have called for his resignation, but without a collapse in public support it may still be difficult for them to oust Ishiba.
- The more likely outcome could be months of chaos leading up to the upper house elections, with LDP and opposition lawmakers as both sides try to damage the prime minister and prepare for the possibility of a no-confidence motion and/or snap election to break the standoff.
Japan Foresight 