Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a meeting of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers held on July 28. (Takayuki Kakuno)

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he won’t resign because he has work to do, in comments to Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers on July 28.

The beleaguered leader reiterated his intention to remain in office after coming under attack from party members during the past week.

While he apologized for the party’s disastrous showing in the July 20 Upper House election, Ishiba touched upon the recent agreement reached with the United States on tariffs.

“We must make every effort to ensure that it is implemented,” he said. “I want to fulfill my responsibility and not create a political vacuum for the state and people.”

A meeting with LDP lawmakers such as that held on July 28 is a forum to exchange views. It has less authority for important decisions than a joint plenary meeting of members from both Diet chambers, which itself is secondary to a party convention.

A joint plenary meeting is typically used for problems of a pressing nature that cannot wait for a convention to be held.

Younger LDP lawmakers have started a petition for such a meeting to take place. They were to decide after the July 28 meeting whether to submit the petition to party executives.

Meanwhile, Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama referred to his own future at the meeting. He said he would announce how he will take responsibility for the Upper House election result after a report is released in August.

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