▲ Ishiba
The Presidential Office has expressed expectations that South Korea-Japan relations will continue positively despite the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
A spokesperson from the Presidential Office stated today (8th) that they are closely monitoring the developments related to Prime Minister Ishiba’s expression of intent to resign but consider it inappropriate to comment on it as it is a matter of Japan’s domestic politics.
However, the spokesperson added, “South Korea and Japan share a broad consensus on the direction of future-oriented and stable relations, so we expect to maintain positive relations even after Prime Minister Ishiba’s resignation.”
Earlier in June, during the G7 Summit in Canada and a visit to Japan in August, President Lee Jae-myung held a summit with Prime Minister Ishiba.
Prime Minister Ishiba officially announced his resignation yesterday (7th) at an emergency press conference, stating that having completed the tariff negotiations with the United States, now is an appropriate time to step down, making this decision officially 11 months into his term.
Prime Minister Ishiba has faced strong pressure to resign within the Liberal Democratic Party after the ruling party’s defeat in the House of Representatives election in October last year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in June, and the House of Councillors election on July 20.