Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigns over defeat in July's parliamentary poll
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has announced that he will step down following growing calls from his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July's parliamentary election.
Ishiba, who took office in October, had resisted demands from mostly right-wing opponents within his own party for more than a month.
The resignation comes on Sunday, one day before his Liberal Democratic Party will decide whether to hold an early leadership election – a virtual no-confidence motion against him if approved.
Ishiba said he would start a process to hold a party leadership vote to choose his replacement and that there was no need for Monday's decision.
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