Japan PM Ishiba bounces back in polls after election debacle

FILE PHOTO: People stand in line to buy government-stockpiled rice, aimed at resolving persistent price rises, sold at Ito-Yokado grocery store, a subsidiary of Seven & i Holdings, in Tokyo, Japan May 31, 2025. PM Shigeru Ishiba's higher ratings may be due to the recent trade deal with the United States and efforts by his government to curb the recent meteoric rise in the price of rice. - Reuters

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's poll ratings have rebounded a month after disastrous election results left his premiership hanging by a thread, a clutch of surveys suggested Monday (Aug 25).

Ishiba took the helm of the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last year and has since lost his majority in both houses of parliament, most recently in upper chamber elections in July.