Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has promised to stay in office despite his gamble on snap elections having backfired.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday vowed he would stay in office, saying he would not allow a “political vacuum,” despite his party’s worst election result in 15 years.
Ishiba called Sunday’s snap election immediately after he took office on October 1. However, voters irked by a political funding scandal punished his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed Japan nearly non-stop since 1955.
While projections showed the LDP-led coalition would likely lose its ruling majority, Ishiba raised the possibility that he could form a minority government.
“I want to fulfill my duty by protecting people’s lives, protecting Japan,” Ishiba told reporters.
He said the biggest election factor was upset over the slush-fund scandal that sank his predecessor Fumio Kishida. It saw party members pocket funding from fund-raising events, but the money was never declared.
“I am keenly aware that the biggest factor was the failure to report on political funds, and the suspicion, mistrust and anger of the people had not been erased over the issue of money and politics,” said Ishiba.
“I will carry out strict reforms within the party and enact fundamental reforms regarding the issue of money and politics,” he said.
