Japan’s PM Ishiba vows to stay in office to focus on U.S. trade talks

AWANI

Japan’s ruling coalition lost its majority in the upper house, but Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he will stay on to manage trade talks with the U.S. and address economic challenges after the election setback.

Transcript

00:00Now, Japan's ruling coalition has lost its majority in the upper house,

00:04but Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he has no plans to step down so far.

00:09Speaking on Monday, Ishiba says he must stay on to handle key trade talks with the US

00:14and address economic challenges following a major election setback.

00:22Voters went to the polls on Sunday amid growing frustration over rising prices

00:26and the threat of US tariffs, issues weighing heavily on the Liberal Democratic Party

00:31and its coalition partner, Kometo.

00:34After polls closed, Ishiba said he accepted the result,

00:37adding that he won't expand the coalition but pursue a mutually beneficial trade deal with the US

00:42and work with the opposition to tackle inflation.

00:45Ishiba's LDP, which has dominated Japanese politics for most of the post-war era,

00:50and Kometo won 47 seats, three short of a majority in the 248-seat

00:56upper house.

00:57While the vote doesn't directly determine the fate of Ishiba's minority government,

01:01it pales pressure on the embattled leader,

01:04who already lost control of the more influential lower house in October.

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