Ishiba May Come Under Pressure to Step Down

   Tokyo, July 20 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may come under pressure to step down if his ruling coalition falls far short of his goal in Sunday's election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament.
   Ishiba declared his intention to stay in office even as the ruling bloc is struggling to maintain its Upper House majority in the election.
   "We must be aware of our responsibility to fulfill for the nation and our responsibility as a comparative first party. I will take charge of it," he said on television Sunday night.
   But the political landscape is becoming increasingly uncertain as moves to find a successor to Ishiba are already underway behind the scene within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
   The ruling coalition had to maintain its Upper House majority after it failed to secure a majority in the House of Representatives, the lower parliamentary chamber, in last year's election, an LDP official said.

(2025/07/21-01:09)