Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Announces Resignation

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has announced his resignation after less than a year in office.

The decision comes after his party lost its absolute majority in both houses of parliament.

Ishiba had been under pressure to resign after the July elections but initially refused. He ultimately resigned to avoid division within his party, as reported by NHK.

According to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, Ishiba could no longer resist the growing calls for his resignation.

Ishiba held talks with Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who asked him to resign.

The Liberal Democratic Party had scheduled a vote for Monday to decide whether to proceed with extraordinary elections for the party leadership.

Ishiba stated that he is resigning from his position as president of the Liberal Democratic Party.