"There is no discussion on whether I will continue in office or resign (at the meeting with former Prime Ministers Yoshihide Suga, Fumio Kishida and Taro Aso)" - TASS reported, quoting Mr. Ishiba as saying to reporters on July 23.
"Some media outlets have reported that I am about to resign, but I have never said that. This information is completely untrue," Prime Minister Ishiba stressed.
Previously, several Japanese newspapers and news agencies reported that Mr. Ishiba had informed his colleagues about the plan to announce his resignation. The newspapers quoted senior LDP officials as saying that Ishiba's resignation after the LDP's defeat in the Senate election was inevitable, and that he could resign as early as July.
In the Japanese Senate election on July 20, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Justice Party (Komeito) lost its majority of seats in the Senate. This was Ishiba's second major election defeat in less than a year.
Last fall, the coalition also lost its majority in the House of Representatives. Although the parties have formed a minority government by exploiting the division within the opposition, the pressure to force Ishiba to resign has been on the rise since then.
If Ishiba steps down in July, a new prime minister will be elected in an extraordinary session of the parliament scheduled for August. However, as the Japanese press noted, there is no guarantee that the new LDP president will be automatically appointed as prime minister. In this situation, Mr. Ishiba is said to be considering delaying his resignation to have time to consult with opposition parties.
After the Senate election results were announced, Mr. Ishiba said he planned to continue in office, with the main reason being that Japan is negotiating trade with the US.
After US President Donald Trump announced a tax deal with Japan on the morning of July 23, Mr. Ishiba said he would first consider a report from Japanese Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's main negotiator on the deal, before making any decision on its future.
