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E L I T E V O L .1 I S S U E . 7 3V O L .1 I S S U E . 7 3

Japan was the first of the three to be swept preemptively, Ishiba sought to improve his

by this wave. On September 7, Prime Minister political standing. Notably, opposition to his
Shigeru Ishiba resigned under mounting leadership came primarily from party factions
pressure from his own party, the Liberal rather than the public. According to a poll by
Democratic Party (LDP), amid growing calls Mainichi Shimbun, 33% of Japanese citizens
for his departure. This was the result of the supported him an increase of four points and
July House of Councillors elections, in which his highest approval since taking office. The
the LDP suffered a significant decline in votes, boost was largely attributed to a trade deal he
losing its majority even in coalition with the struck with the United States in late July -just
Komeito Party. For the first time since its days after the elections- that reduced U.S.
establishment in 1955, the LDP lost its tariffs on Japanese goods from 25% to 15%.
majority in both houses of parliament, This dynamic suggests that party politics
Title
marking its worst setback in 15 years. This left abandoned one of its primary responsibilities:
Ishiba vulnerable to increasing pressure from to represent the will of the people and protect
his party members, as his survival in power the national interest. Instead, party rivalry took
Name- Major- Year
became tied to securing support from the precedence, subjecting the country to
opposition in order to pass legislation. instability driven, in my view, largely by
competition among elites rather than public

discontent.

The Japanese government did not face

popular opposition, yet it nevertheless fell.
This stands in stark contrast to what happened
in Nepal on September 8, where the
government collapsed as a result of mass ELITE’s Seventh Anniversary (2018-2025)
demonstrations led by Generation Z. The
immediate trigger for these protests was, in my
view, the proverbial “straw that broke the
camel’s back.” The public had already been
His resignation came less than a year after grappling with multiple challenges, and the
he assumed leadership of the party and just government’s decision became the spark that
one day before a scheduled party meeting to ignited a wave of rebellion and dissent.
discuss early elections approval of which
would have been tantamount to a formal vote
of no confidence. By stepping down

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