key takeaways
- Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru used a post-election press conference to express his determination to remain in power despite his party’s defeat in Sunday’s upper house elections.
- He will likely survive at least through 1 August, when US tariffs are set to take effect, but Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) backbenchers have vocally criticized Ishiba and have begun organizing a movement that could potentially oust him.
- It is unclear whether any successor could manage the LDP’s “twin crises” better than Ishiba has, but the party may be more willing to try under a new leader than let Ishiba continue with a diminished mandate.
Japan Foresight 