South Korea’s presidential office is staying optimistic about ties with Japan, even after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation due to a major election loss. A top official in Seoul shared this update on Monday, highlighting the two countries’ shared goal of building strong, future-focused relations.
“We’ve already agreed on ways to keep things stable and positive between South Korea and Japan,” the official said. “Ishiba’s exit won’t change that—we expect smooth cooperation ahead.” The office has been keeping a close eye on Japan’s political scene but won’t meddle in their internal matters.
Just last month, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung traveled to Tokyo for his second meeting with Ishiba. The leaders shook hands on boosting collaboration in key areas like security and trade. But not everything is smooth sailing. Tensions flared recently when Seoul decided to skip Japan’s ceremony for the Sado Island gold mine, a site tied to the forced labor of Koreans during World War II. South Korea called out Tokyo for not showing enough respect to the victims, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
Ishiba, 68, dropped the bombshell on Sunday during a live TV press conference. “I’m stepping down as president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),” he said. He instructed party secretary-general Hiroshi Moriyama to kick off the process for a new leadership election right away. This ends Ishiba’s 11-month stint, which started last October.
For weeks, Ishiba had pushed back against calls to quit from within his own LDP. He warned that leaving now could create a “political vacuum” in Japan, especially with big headaches like US tariffs, soaring prices, rice policy changes, and rising tensions in the region. His announcement came just a day before the LDP planned to vote on an early presidential race.
The trigger? A crushing defeat in Japan’s recent Upper House elections. The ruling LDP-Komeito coalition lost its majority, according to The Japan Times. Up until Friday, Ishiba was all in on staying put and rolling out an economic stimulus package to tackle these issues. But pressure from senior party members grew too loud—they wanted him out before the leadership vote to prevent deeper splits in the party.
As Japan hunts for Ishiba’s successor, eyes are on how this shake-up might affect South Korea-Japan relations and broader Asia-Pacific dynamics. Stay tuned for updates on the LDP’s next moves.
