Japan’s political landscape has been thrown into fresh turmoil following the resignation of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who announced on September 7, 2025, that he would step down less than a year after taking office. The move, which comes after weeks of mounting pressure from within his own Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has reignited concerns about the country’s return to the era of short-lived prime ministers—a period marked by instability and policy drift that many Japanese hoped was behind them.
Ishiba’s decision to resign comes at a time when the LDP is reeling from a series of electoral defeats, internal scandals, and factional infighting. The party, which has governed Japan for most of the post-war era, lost its parliamentary majority in the lower House following snap elections called by Ishiba in October 2024. The setback was compounded in July 2025, when the LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, failed to secure a majority in the upper House—marking the first time since 1955 that the party did not control either chamber.
During a news conference, Ishiba addressed the nation with characteristic candor. “I always said that I wouldn’t cling to this post, and would decide to resign at an appropriate time after doing what I needed to do,” he stated. While acknowledging the difficulty of his decision, he explained, “now is the time” to “pass the baton,” having secured a crucial tariff deal with U.S. President Donald Trump just days earlier. According to TIME, Ishiba justified the timing by citing the risk of a political vacuum during ongoing trade negotiations and the need for a smooth transition after the agreement’s conclusion.
Yet, for many in Japan, Ishiba’s resignation has been a long time coming. The LDP’s recent electoral misfortunes opened the floodgates for internal criticism, and calls for his departure grew louder as the party’s grip on power weakened. Ishiba made his announcement just one day before the LDP was set to decide on an early leadership election—effectively a no-confidence vote against him. This move, as reported by The Conversation, allowed Ishiba to step down on his own terms rather than be ousted by his party’s old guard.
The roots of the current crisis stretch back several years. Ishiba inherited a deeply troubled party from his predecessor, Fumio Kishida, who resigned in 2024 amid a wave of scandals. The most damaging of these involved revelations of extensive ties between the LDP and the Unification Church—a controversial religious group thrust into the spotlight after the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The subsequent investigation found that nearly half of LDP members had links to the church, raising questions about the party’s transparency and accountability.
Compounding the party’s woes were further corruption scandals, including allegations of slush funds and financial mismanagement. Kishida’s attempts to impose stricter campaign finance rules floundered in the face of fierce resistance from the Abe faction, which remained the most powerful bloc within the party. As Jeff Kingston, professor of Asian studies at Temple University’s Japan Campus, told TIME, “Kishida wanted to do more about cleaning house and setting campaign finance rules that were much more strict, but former Abe faction members... were dead set against this.” The resulting deadlock eroded public trust and left the LDP divided and rudderless.
When Ishiba took over in September 2024, he sought to restore public confidence by calling for a snap election to secure a new mandate. The gamble backfired spectacularly, with the LDP losing seats and falling short of a majority even with its coalition partners. Voters, frustrated by the endless scandals and lack of progress on economic issues, turned to opposition and populist parties. The far-right Sanseito party capitalized on this discontent, gaining ground with anti-foreigner rhetoric and promises of radical change.
Despite these setbacks, Ishiba’s personal popularity had begun to recover in recent polls, suggesting that ordinary voters were starting to warm to his reformist stance. However, as The Conversation pointed out, his downfall ultimately reflected the enduring influence of the LDP’s old guard, who prioritized party unity and internal discipline over electoral momentum.
Attention now turns to the leadership race to replace Ishiba, with a vote expected in early October 2025. Two frontrunners have emerged: Shinjiro Koizumi, the 44-year-old agriculture minister and son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative who finished runner-up in the 2024 leadership contest. Koizumi, representing the party’s more liberal wing, has advocated for same-sex marriage and allowing married couples to use separate surnames—positions that distinguish him within the traditionally conservative LDP. He has also won praise for tackling a domestic rice crisis and pushing for agricultural reform.
Koizumi’s youth and charisma have made him popular with voters and some opposition parties, raising hopes that he could help the LDP reconnect with disaffected constituencies. “What he offers the party is generational change, a facelift,” Kingston told TIME. If elected, Koizumi would become Japan’s youngest-ever prime minister, a symbolic break from the party’s aging leadership.
Takaichi, 64, offers a starkly different vision. She has styled herself as a successor to Abe, calling for bold fiscal spending, monetary easing, and constitutional revision to bolster Japan’s military posture. She opposes same-sex marriage and dual surnames, and has drawn comparisons to former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. If chosen, she would become Japan’s first female prime minister—a historic milestone in a country that has long struggled with gender inequality. However, her hardline positions could strain the LDP’s ties with coalition partner Komeito and complicate efforts to broaden the party’s appeal.
Polls in early September show Koizumi and Takaichi running neck-and-neck, with a recent Nikkei survey giving Takaichi a slight edge at 23%, just one point ahead of Koizumi. Other potential candidates include Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, and ex-LDP secretary-general Toshimitsu Motegi, though experts doubt any of them have the broad appeal needed to unite the party and the public.
The stakes for the LDP—and for Japan—could hardly be higher. With no general elections due until 2028, the party must find a way to reconnect with voters, address demographic challenges such as an aging population and declining rural communities, and fend off the rising tide of populism. As Kingston observed, “Basically, the LDP knows they have to set the reset button. They’ve got to reconnect to constituencies that have abandoned it over the years.”
Japan’s political instability also has international implications. The country plays a vital role in the Asia-Pacific region, serving as a key U.S. ally and a counterweight to China’s growing influence. Constant leadership changes, as Stephen Nagy of the Japan Institute for International Affairs warned, risk undermining Japan’s credibility as a reliable partner. The trade deal Ishiba struck with President Trump may provide temporary relief, but as Kingston noted, “It’s a very contingent agreement. It hasn’t resolved the situation at all. So the ‘Typhoon Trump’ has not gone away.”
As the LDP prepares to choose its next leader, Japan stands at a crossroads. The party’s ability to renew itself and restore public trust will determine not only its own fate but also the stability and direction of Japanese politics for years to come.