(7 Sep 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++NIGHT SHOTS++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tokyo, Japan – 7 September 2025
1. Various of people walking near train station
2. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takahiro Uchi, office worker:
“People kept saying he would step down but he never did. As a citizen, I kind of wanted him to resign and for things to change. So when I heard he was stepping down, I thought that’s a good thing, but at the same time, there’s also uncertainty and concern about who will take over next.”
3. Various of people walking near train station
4. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takahiro Uchi, office worker:
“I think, ultimately, it comes down to how Japan conducts itself in the international community. So I hope the next leader can build better communication with other countries’ presidents and prime ministers, and work to improve Japan’s standing in the world.”
5. Various of people walking near restaurants and bars
6. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takahiro Uchi, office worker:
“With Mr. (Shigeru) Ishiba, I felt that he wasn’t really very active or capable when it came to international matters. So I hope the next prime minister will be stronger in that area.”
7. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Masataka Nishioka, Tokyo resident:
“Speaking generally, I think Ms. (Sanae) Takaichi would immediately come to mind, but perhaps it’s also necessary—especially in times like these—for someone a bit unexpected to emerge from within the ranks. Rather than having a candidate who fits expectations, I think it might actually be good if someone with a bit of surprise factor were to come forward.”
8. Various of people walking near train station
9. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Masataka Nishioka, Tokyo resident:
“With all the issues around taxes and so on, I really hope for a kind of politics that makes life easier for everyone – not something biased toward a specific group, but politics that is broad and inclusive, something that can help a wide range of people. Not just something that benefits a specific inner circle.”
10. Various of bullet train running in background
STORYLINE:
People in Japan shared both their relief and concern after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on Sunday that he will step down following growing calls from his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July’s parliamentary election.
"When I heard he was stepping down, I thought that’s a good thing, but at the same time, there’s also uncertainty and concern about who will take over next,” said Takahiro Uchi, an office worker in Tokyo.
Ishiba, who took office in October, said earlier in the day that he was stepping down as prime minister and as the head of his conservative Liberal Democratic Party.
Ishiba, a 68-year-old moderate centrist, had resisted demands from opponents further to the right within his own party to resign.
He argued that he wanted to avoid a political vacuum at a time when Japan faces key domestic and international challenges, including U.S. tariffs, rising prices and growing tensions in the Asia-Pacific.
The resignation came one day before his party was to decide whether to hold an early leadership election, which would have amounted to a virtual no-confidence motion against him if approved.
He said he made the “painful decision to resign” to avert that step because “it would cause a critical division within the party, and that is absolutely not my intention.”
Ishiba said he would instead start a process to hold a party leadership vote to choose his replacement, which is expected to be held in October. He is to remain as prime minister until a new party leader is elected and endorsed by the parliament.
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