key takeaways
- Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru sparred with his challengers at a plenary meeting on 8 August, but the real threat to his leadership came from a decision to begin canvassing votes on whether to hold a recall vote.
- While it is not certain that a recall vote will move forward, the prime minister appears to have few defenders willing to support his staying in office.
- It could take several weeks for this process to unfold, during which time Ishiba will try to divide his opposition while potential replacements will seek to build momentum behind their leadership bids.
Japan Foresight 