Waziri Mkuu wa Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, ameapa kubaki madarakani, licha ya muungano wa chama chake tawala kupata pigo kubwa katika uchaguzi wa Bunge la Juu, hali ambayo imezua mashaka ndani ya chama chake huku upinzani ukifikiria kuwasilisha hoja ya kutokuwa na imani naye
Ishiba, ambaye anakabiliwa na shinikizo kubwa, aliwaambia waandishi wa habari kuwa atasalia ofisini ili kusimamia mazungumzo ya ushuru na Marekani pamoja na kushughulikia masuala mengine muhimu kama ongezeko la bei ya bidhaa, jambo linaloikandamiza uchumi wa nne kwa ukubwa duniani. “Nitabaki ofisini na kufanya kila niwezalo kufanikisha utatuzi wa changamoto hizi,” alisema, na kuongeza kuwa anapanga kuzungumza moja kwa moja na Rais wa Marekani Donald Trump haraka iwezekanavyo na kuleta matokeo yanayoonekana
Hata hivyo, wachambuzi wanasema siku zake zinaweza kuwa zinahesabika, hasa baada ya kupoteza pia udhibiti wa Bunge la Chini mwaka jana, na sasa kushuhudia wapiga kura wakielekeza kura zao kwa vyama vya upinzani vinavyopigia debe kupunguza ushuru na kudhibiti uhamiaji. Uchumi wa Japan uko kwenye mkondo wa sintofahamu huku baadhi ya wawekezaji wakihofia kuwa serikali ya Ishiba sasa itategemea zaidi makubaliano na vyama vya upinzani vinavyotaka ongezeko la matumizi ya ustawi wa jamii, jambo ambalo nchi yenye deni kubwa zaidi duniani haiwezi kumudu
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Japanese Premier Shigeru Ishiba vowed to remain in his post on Monday after his ruling coalition suffered a bruising defeat in upper house elections, prompting some in his own party to doubt his leadership as the opposition weighed a no-confidence motion.
The embattled prime minister told a news conference he would remain in office to oversee tariff talks with the United States and other pressing matters, such as rising consumer prices that are straining the world's fourth-largest economy
"I will stay in office and do everything in my power to chart a path toward resolving these challenges," Ishiba said, adding that he intended to speak directly with U.S. President Donald Trump as soon as possible and deliver tangible results
Analysts say his days may be numbered, however, having also lost control of the more powerful lower house in elections last year and shedding votes on Sunday to opposition parties pledging to cut taxes and tighten immigration policies.
"The political situation has become fluid and could lead to a leadership change or the reshuffling of the coalition in coming months," said Oxford Economics' lead Japan economist Norihiro Yamaguchi
Investors fear Ishiba's administration will now be more beholden to opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and welfare spending that the world's most indebted country can ill afford
The 68-year-old leader said he had no plans to expand his coalition but would work with opposition parties to address voter concerns about inflation. He cautioned, though, that tax changes would not deliver the immediate help households need.
Markets in Japan were closed for a holiday on Monday, although the yen strengthened and Nikkei futures rose slightly, as the election results appeared to be priced in
Yields on Japanese government bonds sold off sharply ahead of the ballot as polls showed the ruling coalition - which had been calling for fiscal restraint - was likely to lose its majority in the upper house
Adding to the economic anxiety, Ishiba's lack of progress in averting tariffs set to be imposed by its biggest trading partner, the United States, on August 1 appears to have frustrated some voters
"Had the ruling party resolved even one of these issues, it (its approval rate) would have gone up, but we didn’t feel anything and it seems like the U.S. would continue to push us around," Hideaki Matsuda, a 60-year-old company manager, said outside Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku station on Monday morning
Japan's chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa departed for trade talks in Washington on Monday morning, his eighth visit in three months
Source: Reuters
Ishiba, ambaye anakabiliwa na shinikizo kubwa, aliwaambia waandishi wa habari kuwa atasalia ofisini ili kusimamia mazungumzo ya ushuru na Marekani pamoja na kushughulikia masuala mengine muhimu kama ongezeko la bei ya bidhaa, jambo linaloikandamiza uchumi wa nne kwa ukubwa duniani. “Nitabaki ofisini na kufanya kila niwezalo kufanikisha utatuzi wa changamoto hizi,” alisema, na kuongeza kuwa anapanga kuzungumza moja kwa moja na Rais wa Marekani Donald Trump haraka iwezekanavyo na kuleta matokeo yanayoonekana
Hata hivyo, wachambuzi wanasema siku zake zinaweza kuwa zinahesabika, hasa baada ya kupoteza pia udhibiti wa Bunge la Chini mwaka jana, na sasa kushuhudia wapiga kura wakielekeza kura zao kwa vyama vya upinzani vinavyopigia debe kupunguza ushuru na kudhibiti uhamiaji. Uchumi wa Japan uko kwenye mkondo wa sintofahamu huku baadhi ya wawekezaji wakihofia kuwa serikali ya Ishiba sasa itategemea zaidi makubaliano na vyama vya upinzani vinavyotaka ongezeko la matumizi ya ustawi wa jamii, jambo ambalo nchi yenye deni kubwa zaidi duniani haiwezi kumudu
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Japanese Premier Shigeru Ishiba vowed to remain in his post on Monday after his ruling coalition suffered a bruising defeat in upper house elections, prompting some in his own party to doubt his leadership as the opposition weighed a no-confidence motion.
The embattled prime minister told a news conference he would remain in office to oversee tariff talks with the United States and other pressing matters, such as rising consumer prices that are straining the world's fourth-largest economy
"I will stay in office and do everything in my power to chart a path toward resolving these challenges," Ishiba said, adding that he intended to speak directly with U.S. President Donald Trump as soon as possible and deliver tangible results
Analysts say his days may be numbered, however, having also lost control of the more powerful lower house in elections last year and shedding votes on Sunday to opposition parties pledging to cut taxes and tighten immigration policies.
"The political situation has become fluid and could lead to a leadership change or the reshuffling of the coalition in coming months," said Oxford Economics' lead Japan economist Norihiro Yamaguchi
Investors fear Ishiba's administration will now be more beholden to opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and welfare spending that the world's most indebted country can ill afford
The 68-year-old leader said he had no plans to expand his coalition but would work with opposition parties to address voter concerns about inflation. He cautioned, though, that tax changes would not deliver the immediate help households need.
Markets in Japan were closed for a holiday on Monday, although the yen strengthened and Nikkei futures rose slightly, as the election results appeared to be priced in
Yields on Japanese government bonds sold off sharply ahead of the ballot as polls showed the ruling coalition - which had been calling for fiscal restraint - was likely to lose its majority in the upper house
Adding to the economic anxiety, Ishiba's lack of progress in averting tariffs set to be imposed by its biggest trading partner, the United States, on August 1 appears to have frustrated some voters
"Had the ruling party resolved even one of these issues, it (its approval rate) would have gone up, but we didn’t feel anything and it seems like the U.S. would continue to push us around," Hideaki Matsuda, a 60-year-old company manager, said outside Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku station on Monday morning
Japan's chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa departed for trade talks in Washington on Monday morning, his eighth visit in three months
Source: Reuters
