Editorial

14:00 JST, July 22, 2025

Democracy will cease to exist if the will of the people, which has repeatedly been expressed in elections, is ignored.

A leader who has lost the trust of the people will only prolong the political turmoil if they stay in office. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba should resign from his post immediately.

In the House of Councillors election, the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito had set a target of winning 50 seats, the number that was needed to maintain a majority in the upper house when combined with their seats not up for election. But they failed to reach this goal, suffering a crushing defeat.

With the setback, the ruling parties have become the minority in both the House of Representatives and the upper house. The prime minister bears heavy responsibility for three consecutive defeats, including last year’s lower house election........

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