Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru denied reports that he will announce his resignation in August, but the party has made increasingly clear that it is ready for a change of leadership.
There are some questions about the timing, but he will likely be replaced by a new Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader no later than the first half of September.
While it is too early for candidates to announce their bids, LDP members are already weighing their options and thinking about how to conduct the election.
