TOKYO: Japanese Agricultural Minister Shinjiro Koizumi urged Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to step down, Nikkei reports, a move that comes amid growing calls for the ruling party to hold an early leadership election.
Ishiba faces a key vote on Monday (Sept 8) on whether the Liberal Democratic Party will hold the leadership poll. The party has been wracked by weeks of internal wrangling, with the prime minister insisting on staying in power despite a second national election setback that cost the LDP control of both chambers of parliament.
Ishiba met with Koizumi and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga Saturday to discuss internal party issues related to the LDP election, local media reported earlier. The two key figures encouraged Ishiba to step down soon to prevent a deeper split within the party, according to the Nikkei newspaper.
If the party votes to hold an early vote, Ishiba is expected to step aside as it would signal a loss of confidence in him. The prime minister’s term is scheduled to end in two years.
The pressure from Koizumi, a prominent member of Ishiba’s cabinet, adds weight to calls for the prime minister to resign before the vote. Seen as a political heir with ambitions of his own, the agricultural minister previously persuaded Suga not to seek re-election as party leader four years ago.
Other one-time allies, including Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki and former economy minister Ken Saito, have recently expressed support for an early leadership race. Koizumi had carefully avoided giving any indication of his position on the issue.
A Yomiuri poll released Sunday showed that of the 342 LDP lawmakers and regional representatives eligible to vote Monday, 161 favoured moving up the leadership contest and 50 opposed it, while about 30 per cent remained undecided.
For markets, the prospect of an early leadership race adds uncertainty over policy direction. A new LDP leader could push more aggressive economic measures, increasing fiscal pressures and potentially influencing the Bank of Japan’s pace of interest rate hikes. - Bloomberg
