Japan political crisis: Report claims PM Shigeru Ishiba to resign after election debacle; approval rating falls below 23%

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to step down by the end of August after his ruling coalition suffered a major defeat in Sunday’s upper house election, Mainichi Shimbun reported Wednesday.

Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and junior partner Komeito fell three seats short of a majority, deepening political instability. This follows a prior loss in the lower house last October, leaving the coalition a minority in both chambers for the first time since 1955.

Ishiba’s Cabinet approval rating also fell to just under 23 percent. the lowest since he took office in October. following his coalition’s major defeat in Sunday’s upper house election, a Kyodo News poll revealed Tuesday. While 51.6 percent of respondents said Ishiba should resign, 45.8 percent disagreed. On foreign policy, 65.6 percent favored tighter immigration and property rules, while 26.7 percent supported the status quo.