On July 23, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held a rare and tense meeting with three former prime ministers—Taro Aso, Yoshihide Suga, and Fumio Kishida—at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters. The meeting lasted about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
After the meeting, Ishiba told reporters that his possible resignation "was not discussed at all." However, the former prime ministers strongly disagreed, saying that was "not true." According to them, Ishiba was directly urged to clarify whether he would resign following the LDP’s heavy loss in the recent upper house election.
During the meeting, Aso bluntly said, "The people have made it clear that we can’t win elections with Prime Minister Ishiba." Kishida also pushed Ishiba to lay out a clear plan for the future, including his own political position.
With local LDP chapters across Japan demanding Ishiba's early resignation, the pressure is mounting. Suga warned that party unity must be protected, signaling the risk of a party split.
One of the former prime ministers later said they want the media to accurately report what was said in the meeting. Ishiba, they noted, simply listened in silence.
Despite this, Ishiba publicly downplayed the discussion, causing frustration among the party elders.
by MagazineKey4532