Japanese politics has witnessed a major upheaval as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned from his post. His decision comes in the wake of the ruling coalition’s failure to secure a majority in the upper house of parliament. For the first time since 1955, a coalition government has slipped into a minority in both houses. Mounting pressure over this unprecedented situation eventually forced Ishiba to step down.

Earlier in July, Ishiba had faced a major setback after a significant electoral defeat in the upper house of Japan’s parliament as his coalition failed to attain a majority. This came after his party also failed to attain a majority in the lower house of the parliament last year. According to the Kyodo News, despite this major setback, which led to his ruling coalition losing its majority in both houses of Japan’s parliament, Ishiba vowed that he would remain in office as the country’s Prime Minister to avert a “political stalemate”.

Ishiba, who leads the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), ruled out stepping down to ‘avoid a political deadlock’ and to maintain leadership during what he described as a “national crisis”, as households struggle with rising costs and due to looming US tariffs. Despite acknowledging his “heavy responsibility” for the outcome, Ishiba had ruled out stepping down and stressed his commitment to the public.