Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces his intention to resign at a news conference on Sept. 7. (Takeshi Iwashita)

EDITORIAL: Public ignored in internal LDP power struggle to oust Ishiba

（社説）国民不在の党内抗争　首相辞任で終わりではない

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba showed a desire to cling to power even after defeats in the Lower House election of autumn 2024 and the July Upper House election pushed the ruling coalition into the minority in both chambers.

However, Ishiba finally has expressed his intention to step down.

He was pressured into making a decision as proponents of moving up the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election gained momentum for a decision on Sept. 8. Such a move would have, in effect, been a recall movement against Ishiba.

Over the 50 days since the Upper House election, the internal party struggle over Ishiba’s future created a political vacuum that stopped any move to deal with surging consumer prices.

The harsh view held by the people is directed at the LDP as a whole, leaving the party on the brink as a ruling party in this 70th anniversary of its founding.

The situation is not one that will restore public trust just because the head of the party is changing.

The selection of a new party leader will demonstrate how serious the LDP is about a drastic overhaul.

■PRIORITY ON AVOIDING PARTY FRAGMENTATION

In his Sept. 7 news conference, Ishiba admitted that as the party head he was responsible for the Upper House election defeat.

In addition, he said the timing was right for him to resign since the tariff negotiations with the United States had concluded with U.S. President Donald Trump’s signing of a presidential order.

Ishiba said he wanted to avoid creating a decisive fragmentation in the party through the proposal to move up the party presidential election.

He added that one regret he had was not eliminating the distrust held by the people about the money scandal that has plagued the LDP.

It was obvious that Ishiba had little to stand on for remaining in power since voters twice in national elections did not give him a vote of confidence.

With the ruling coalition in the minority in both Diet chambers and even with his expression of wanting to address pressing issues, there was no assurance that the opposition would enter into discussions since Ishiba had lost the foundation for implementing policy.

Delaying the announcement of his intentions only prolonged the political stagnation.

Those who led the maneuvering to remove Ishiba were the anti-mainstream factions, including members of the faction once led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who damaged trust in the LDP through their accumulation of huge amounts of money through fund-raising parties.

Their moves only appeared to be an internal struggle with the aim of returning to power because they did not present a clear picture of how to resuscitate the party.

In the background to the public polls that showed support for Ishiba remaining as prime minister despite the election defeats was likely a public fed up with an LDP more concerned with a tempest in a teacup, rather than the people.

■ISHIBA FAILED TO LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS

After about a year, the curtain falls on the Ishiba administration started on Oct. 1, 2024.

His predecessor, Fumio Kishida, abandoned plans to run in the party presidential election after losing the trust of the people for not dealing adequately with the money scandal.

After many years outside the mainstream, Ishiba was finally elected party president.

Since Abe’s second stint as prime minister, the ruling coalition has depended on its power in numbers to push forward with government management that tended to play down the importance of the Diet.

The public likely held the expectation that Ishiba would change such a political stance and expose all the negative aspects of the money scandal.

But after becoming prime minister, Ishiba quickly decided to dissolve the Lower House rather than engage in serious Diet debate.

That led to the ruling coalition losing its majority in the Lower House because it could not remove the distrust of voters regarding the money scandal.

While there were calls then for Ishiba to step down, he expressed his intention to remain in office.

He promised to engage in thoughtful deliberations in the Diet since the coalition was in the minority and chose the path of a partial coalition seeking the cooperation of opposition parties depending on the policy facing the Diet.

While there were some fruits from such efforts, such as passage of the budget, Ishiba was unable to deal with issues that have long awaited action, such as a review of political donations from companies and organizations and allowing husbands and wives to use separate surnames.

Ishiba also did not release a statement for this milestone year of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The expectations that the LDP would change gradually withered or ended with no action.

Ishiba’s responses to Diet questioning were carefully thought out. He spoke in his own words in making addresses at the memorial ceremonies marking the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as for the end of the war.

But with the general impression that it was unclear what Ishiba wanted to accomplish, which he himself admitted to, it was unlikely that he would regain the unifying force needed to move forward.

■FOR THE LDP TO BECOME THE PEOPLE'S PARTY

In its recently released report about the Upper House election, the LDP cited as the primary cause for the result failing to stand by the people and provide them with peace of mind regarding their daily lives. The party also pledged to undertake a drastic overhaul.

In the process to select Ishiba’s successor, the LDP must display specific measures and a road map to accomplish such change to gain the understanding and sympathy of the public.

Discussions from a mid/long term perspective will be indispensable for the party to make clear how it intends to maintain the social security program and fiscal condition into the future.

These challenges will come amid not only the pressing issues of high consumer prices and the Trump tariffs, but also for dealing with a falling birthrate and a graying and declining population.

Distrust of politicians will likely only intensify if lawmakers criticized for their involvement in the money scandal as well as with the former Unification Church, now known formally as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, are allowed to return to positions of power without taking responsibility or apologizing.

Because the coalition does not hold a majority in either Diet chamber, there is no guarantee that the new LDP president will become the next prime minister.

The new leader must have the ability to reach wide-ranging agreements to realize the policies needed by the public even as the Diet becomes one where many different parties have some degree of strength.

In the Upper House election, parties that repeated xenophobic statements or called for tax cuts without mentioning where the revenue replacement would come from received a considerable number of votes.

Rather than directing arguments to sectors of society to regain the rock-solid conservative element that abandoned the LDP for other parties, we hope the party will engage in debate that is appropriate for one purporting to be a “people’s party” under the banner of toleration and inclusion.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 8

昨秋の衆院選に続き、７月の参院選でも与党過半数割れの敗北を喫しながら、政権継続に執念を示していた石破首相がついに退陣を表明した。
　首相への事実上のリコールといわれる自民党総裁選前倒しの是非を決める前日だった。賛成派の勢いが増すなか、追い込まれての判断だ。
　参院選が終わってから５０日。首相の進退をめぐる党内抗争で、物価高対策などが進まない「政治空白」が続く。
　国民の厳しい視線は党全体に注がれており、結党７０年にして、自民は政権政党として土俵際にある。党の顔を変えれば信頼が戻るほど甘くはない。新総裁選びでは「解党的出直し」の内実が問われる。

■党の分断回避を優先
　首相はゆうべの記者会見で、党のトップとしての参院選敗北の責任を認め、トランプ氏が米大統領令に署名するなど、日米関税交渉に「一つの区切り」がついた今が、職を辞するタイミングだとし、総裁選前倒しへの賛否で、党内に「決定的な分断」を生むことを避けたかったと述べた。政治とカネの問題で「国民の不信を払拭できなかったことが心残り」とも語った。
　そもそも国政選挙で２度続けて、国民の信任を得られなかった以上、政権維持に無理があることは目に見えていた。衆参両院で少数与党となり、首相がいかに諸課題への取り組みに意欲を見せたところで、野党が協議に応じる展望はなく、政策遂行の基盤は失われていた。
　首相の態度表明が遅れたことで、政治の停滞が長期化したことは否めない。
　一方で、この間、「石破おろし」を主導したのは、裏金問題で党への信頼を失墜させた旧安倍派をはじめとする非主流派の面々だった。党再生への具体的な構想はなく、復権をめざす権力闘争にしか見えなかった。
　選挙で負けた首相の続投を支持する世論が広がった背景には、国民そっちのけで「コップの中の争い」にうつつを抜かす自民への愛想づかしがあったに違いない。

■石破氏期待に沿えず
　昨年１０月１日に発足した石破政権は、約１年で幕を下ろすことになった。
　裏金問題への対応などで、国民の信を失った岸田前首相が、総裁選への出馬を断念。党内で長く非主流派だった石破氏が新総裁に選ばれた。
　自公政権は第２次安倍政権以降、「数の力」を前面に、強引な政権運営や国会軽視が目立った。石破氏にはそうした政治姿勢の転換や裏金問題のウミを出し切ることが期待されていたはずだ。
　ところが、首相は就任するや、国会での論戦もそこそこに急いで衆院を解散。政治資金をめぐる不信を拭い去ることができず、与党の過半数割れを招いた。
　この時も進退が問われたが、首相は続投を表明。少数与党の下、「熟議の国会」を掲げ、政策課題ごとに野党の協力をとりつける「部分連合」の道を選んだ。
　本予算の成立など、一定の成果はあげたが、企業・団体献金の見直しや選択的夫婦別姓制度の導入など、長年の「宿題」に答えを出すことはできず、戦後８０年の節目の首相談話も見送られた。自民が「変わる」ことへの期待は、いずれも尻すぼみ、あるいは手つかずに終わった。
　確かに、首相の国会答弁は丁寧で、広島・長崎の原爆の日や終戦記念日の式典などでも、自分の言葉で語る姿勢が見られた。ただ、首相自身、認めたように「何をやりたいのかわからない」という評価の下で、求心力の回復は望めなかったというほかない。

■国民政党名乗るなら
　自民は先にまとめた参院選総括の報告書で、敗因を一言で言えば「国民に寄り添い、暮らしの安心を確実に届けることができなかった」ことだとし、解党的出直しに取り組むと誓った。
　石破氏の後任を選ぶ総裁選で、その具体的な方策や道筋が示され、国民の納得と共感が得られるかが問われる。
　物価高やトランプ関税への対策など、直面する課題だけでなく、少子高齢化や人口減が進むなか、この国の社会保障や財政を将来にわたってどうやって維持していくのか、中長期的な観点に立った議論も欠かせない。
　裏金問題や世界平和統一家庭連合（旧統一教会）との関係で批判を浴びた議員が、反省やけじめのないまま復権するようなことになれば、政治不信を強めるだけだろう。
　与党は衆参両院で過半数を持っておらず、自民の次の総裁がそのまま首相になる保証はない。新しいリーダーには、多党化が進む国会で、国民のために必要な政策の実現に向け、幅広い合意形成を取りつける資質が求められる。
　参院選では、排外主義的な主張を繰り返したり、十分な財源を示さずに減税論を展開したりする政党が、一定の票を集めた。党から離れた「岩盤保守層」を取り戻そうと、一部の層に訴えるのではなく、寛容と包摂を掲げる「国民政党」の名にもとることのない論戦を望みたい。

(2025年9月8日)