(Adnkronos) – The secretary general of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Hiroshi Moriyama, has offered his resignation, taking responsibility for the heavy defeat suffered by the party in the elections for the House of Councillors on July 20. “I wish to resign from my position as secretary general to take responsibility for the election results,” Moriyama said. The LDP, leading the governing coalition with the Komeito, also lost its majority in the upper house, just a few months after being forced to govern in a minority in the more powerful House of Representatives. An internal party report, expected in the next few hours, underlines the need to “start from scratch” to regain the trust of voters.
During a joint meeting of parliamentarians from the two chambers, the prime minister and leader of the LDP, Shigeru Ishiba, apologized for the electoral defeat, admitting his own responsibilities: “It is my responsibility as president of the LDP and I cannot avoid it.” However, he clarified that he wanted to carefully evaluate his political future: “I do not intend to cling to my position and I will make an appropriate decision at the appropriate time.” According to sources close to the party, the investigation report led by Moriyama will attribute the defeat mainly to the political funds scandal that involved several factions of the LDP, but avoiding blaming Ishiba directly.
The internal crisis risks paving the way for an early election for the LDP leadership, which would normally be scheduled for 2027. The hypothesis will be discussed next Monday, when the party’s electoral committee will conduct an internal survey among parliamentarians and local leaders of the 47 prefectures. The rules establish that an early vote can only take place with the support of the majority of elected officials and territorial leaders. Meanwhile, pressure is growing from a part of the party close to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, assassinated in 2022, who is pushing for a change in leadership in view of the political and economic challenges that await Japan.
