Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied on Wednesday he had decided to quit after a source and media reports said he planned to announce his resignation to take responsibility for a bruising upper house election defeat. Asked about media reports that he had expressed his intention to step down as early as this month, the 68-year-old leader Ishiba told reporters at party headquarters on Wednesday: "I have never made such a statement...The facts reported in the media are completely unfounded." Ishiba chose not to quit straight after the election to prevent political instability as the August 1 deadline for clinching the trade deal approached, a source close to the prime minister said, asking not to be identified because they are not authorised to talk to the media.
Published at: 2025-07-23 22:06:59
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