【与党よとうの動うごき 22日にじゅうににち】石破いしば首相しゅしょう続投ぞくとうの意向いこう表明ひょうめい受うけ 閣僚かくりょうは

As a result of the House of Councillors election, the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito have become a minority ruling coalition in both houses of the Diet.

Prime Minister Ishiba has expressed his intention to stay on, but there are voices within the Liberal Democratic Party calling for him to take responsibility, so whether he can unite the party will be an issue.

We will report on the actions and reactions of the ruling party on July 22.

Moriyama, the Secretary-General, met with former Prime Minister Kishida—Moriyama of the Liberal Democratic Party visited former Prime Minister Kishida’s office in the Diet members’ building this afternoon and held talks for about 20 minutes, possibly exchanging views on future administration of the government.

Based on the results of the House of Councillors election and Prime Minister Ishibas announcement of his intention to continue in office, it is believed that they exchanged opinions regarding the situation within the party and future government administration.

Minister of Agriculture Koizumi: Failure to achieve the target should be taken seriously At a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Koizumi said, Prime Minister Ishiba is using the expression the largest party in comparison, but instead of being proud of that, we should take seriously the fact that we failed to achieve our goal of winning 50 seats, which would have been a majority.

Prime Minister Ishiba said, I told him, If you dont first clearly demonstrate that you are facing the serious fact that the goal was not achieved, even in the final stages of negotiations over the Trump tariffs, people will question whether you truly feel the responsibility as Prime Minister to fulfill your duty as a nation.

Also, regarding Prime Minister Ishibas continuation in office: How to judge this in light of the election results is a decision for politicians.

The Prime Minister has decided to remain in office, and I would like him to take the voices of the public and within the party seriously, and continue to provide thorough explanations so that everyone can fully understand.

Foreign Minister Iwaya: “It’s hell if we go forward, and hell if we retreat, but we must move ahead.” At a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Foreign Minister Iwaya said, “Given the extremely tough election results, it’s only natural that there are various opinions within the party.”

In a manner of speaking, its a case of damned if you do, damned if you dont, but for the sake of the nation and its people, we must move forward.

On top of that, Its not a matter of prolonging the Ishiba administration or anything like that; we are facing the challenge of how to rebuild Japanese politics, which is currently in a difficult situation.

He said, We are required to work together to build broad consensus with the opposition parties and move Japan forward.

On the other hand, regarding the impact on diplomacy such as tariff negotiations with the United States, when important negotiations are taking place, the domestic political base appearing extremely unstable never works to our advantage.

He said, It is necessary to firmly maintain our system and approach the negotiations.

Finance Minister Kato: Oppositions demand for a consumption tax cut is inappropriate At a press conference following a cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Kato reiterated the governments stance regarding the oppositions call for a reduction in the consumption tax during the election campaign, stating, We have said that it is not appropriate.

Finance Minister Kato commented on the results of the House of Councillors election, saying, I believe it was a very tough outcome for both the Liberal Democratic Party and the ruling coalition.

We must humbly and sincerely accept the results this time and reflect them in our future actions, he said.

On top of that, regarding the reduction of the consumption tax advocated by the opposition during the election campaign, he stated, We have consistently said that a consumption tax cut is not appropriate from the governments perspective, and we have pointed out various problems and issues with it as a measure against rising prices, thus reiterating the governments stance.

Also, regarding the so-called provisional gasoline tax rate, The decision to abolish it has already been made in inter-party discussions, and I understand that the situation remains unchanged in terms of the need to find solutions to various issues for implementation, such as the burden of infrastructure development and maintenance, and securing stable financial resources.

In any case, the government will respond, taking into account the discussions among the political parties.

Minister of Internal Affairs Murakami, with tears in his eyes, said, I want to support Mr. Ishiba with all my might. At a press conference after the cabinet meeting, Minister Murakami stated, I think the results reflect the publics dissatisfaction with existing political parties, but we need to calmly consider whether the parties that gained seats can actually implement their policies.

Im worried that abolishing or reducing the consumption tax might not be the right policy decision, and that it may not take the next generation into consideration.

He said, Is it really right for democracy if populism prevails over sound arguments?

On top of that, regarding Prime Minister Ishibas responsibility, Politics is about responsibility for results, but rather than it being Mr. Ishibas personal responsibility, isnt it that various issues within the Liberal Democratic Party up until now have just come to the surface?

While carrying the burden of a negative legacy, I truly believe that only Mr. Ishiba could have come this far, so I want to support him as much as I can, with all my effort, he said, occasionally tearing up.

Defense Minister Nakatani: Kochi Prefectural LDPs Request for Resignation Not an Official Demand Defense Minister Nakatani commented on the decision by the Kochi Prefectural branch of the Liberal Democratic Party, which he chairs, to request Prime Minister Ishibas early resignation, stating, I was absent from the executive meeting due to official duties, but the document was created in the names of some executives.

He stated, It was carried out without any procedures by the prefectural federation or any report or approval to me, so it is not an official request.

On top of that, as long as I hold a position as a member of the Ishiba Cabinet, it is only natural that I support it.

In the past ten months, while listening to the opinions of the opposition parties, we have achieved some results, and we should do our utmost to meet the expectations of the people.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi: We will sincerely work toward realizing our policies. At a press conference following the Cabinet meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi said, We have received an extremely harsh judgment from the public.

We must accept the results with humility and sincerity, he said.

On top of that, Prime Minister Ishiba has stated that, in the face of extremely severe challenges for the nation such as tariff measures, rising prices, natural disasters, and the most severe and complex postwar security environment, he must fulfill his responsibility to prevent political stagnation.

In light of these policies, we will sincerely work toward the realization of our initiatives, he said.

He was asked for his opinion on Prime Minister Ishibas continued tenure, and said, I would like to continue supporting Prime Minister Ishiba.

Kihara, the chairman of the LDP’s Election Strategy Committee, said in an interview with NHK, “We must take seriously the reality that we have become a minority ruling party in both the Upper and Lower Houses. We will need to build consensus with the opposition parties in order to reflect as much of the diverse public opinion as possible.”

The movements within the party show that both the prefectural chapters and the Diet members are fighting hard in the election and each has various feelings about it.

The strength of the Liberal Democratic Party is that we can freely express our thoughts, and I take this seriously and want to use it in our review of the election, he said.

Also, regarding Prime Minister Ishibas continuation in office, he said, Since the framework for a stable administration is not yet visible, I believe it is a painful decision for the Prime Minister himself to take responsibility.

Trump tariffs and measures against rising prices in the autumn are also important, and we have a responsibility to move things forward.

I cannot allow stagnation in national politics, and as a member of the executive team, I want to firmly provide support, he said.

Furthermore, regarding his own future, Mr. Kihara stated, My responsibility is to see the election through to its conclusion, and once thats done, I want to properly handle my own situation myself.

LDP former Abe faction House of Representatives member Hideaki Suzuki, who has also been actively posting on social media along with other lawmakers, said on X formerly Twitter, Prime Minister Ishiba has announced his intention to continue, but the voices I hear from my local constituents are extremely harsh, and there is absolutely no understanding.

Continuing in office must be said to disregard the judgment of the election.

I once again urge Prime Minister Ishiba to take the results of the elections—including the House of Representatives election and the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election—seriously, and to make a prompt decision.

Liberal Democratic Party and former Abe faction member, House of Representatives member Noriyuki Sasaki, posted on X formerly Twitter: This morning, I stood on the street corner, but the looks I received were harsh, and I feel that a complete reorganization of the party is necessary.

At todays meeting of the Ishikawa Prefectural chapter of the Liberal Democratic Party, I will formally call for President Ishibas resignation.

The current situation, where the voices of local communities are not being heard, cannot be overlooked, he posted.

Liberal Democratic Party LDP Upper House member Hiroshi Yamada of the former Abe faction quoted a report on X formerly Twitter stating that the party would analyze the reasons for its election defeat, and commented, First and foremost, it is Prime Minister Ishiba who should promptly take responsibility for the partys crushing defeat in the election.

Otherwise, it may not be possible to conduct proper and rigorous verification.

Both former Prime Minister Uno and former Prime Minister Hashimoto resigned promptly the day after their defeat, he posted.

Movements in various prefectural branches calling for the resignation of the party president and a renewal of the leadership — The Liberal Democratic Partys Tochigi prefectural branch held an emergency executive meeting and decided to formally request in writing, with the signatures of the branch secretary-general and executives, that Prime Minister Ishiba step down as LDP president.

In the document, it has been decided to also request Secretary-General Moriyamas resignation.

According to those involved, the document will be mailed to the party headquarters after the 23rd.

LDP Tochigi Prefectural Secretary-General Yoshifumi Kimura commented, In light of the devastating defeat in the House of Councillors election, we have determined that with the current party leadership, not only is it impossible to regain public support, but the very existence of the party is at stake. We therefore call for responsibility to be clearly identified.

The Ehime Prefectural Federation of the Liberal Democratic Party held a general meeting of its members in the afternoon and compiled a statement under the name of Secretary-General Toshihiro Suzuki regarding the results of the House of Councillors election.

According to this, the results of this election reflect a distrust of the party itself, and it is a situation that is causing concern as it will have a significant impact on future local elections.

On top of that, they say that going against the will of the people as reflected in the election results could lead to further decline of the party, and are strongly urging the party headquarters to overhaul the current leadership.

It also states that a clear direction for the partys revitalization should be indicated, and that a prompt restart should be pursued.

After the general meeting of party members, Junji Hasegawa, a member of the House of Representatives who serves as the chairman of the party’s prefectural federation, told reporters, “As a party organization, we need to once again examine, analyze, and reflect from the ground up on what was lacking and what led to the public’s distrust.”

From that perspective, rather than talking about Prime Minister Ishiba’s resignation or anything like that, I said, “Since it is unacceptable to go against the will of the people, I used the expression ‘revamping the current administration’ first.”