Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba to resign to prevent split within ruling Liberal Democratic Party over recent poll loss: Report

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided to resign to prevent a split within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday.

The government has instructed Ishiba to hold a press conference at 0900 GMT.

Ishiba expressed his intention to step down after facing growing calls from his party to take responsibility for its heavy defeat in the July parliamentary election, according to the Associated Press.

Ishiba, who assumed office in October, had resisted demands from rightwing opponents within his party for over a month.

The LDP-led coalition lost its majority in the upper house in the July election. Ishiba’s resignation comes a day before the party is set to decide whether to hold an early leadership election, which would have amounted to a virtual no-confidence motion against him if approved.

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