Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba clung on Monday even after his coalition suffered what he called an “extremely regrettable” election result, as painful new US tariffs loom. In Sunday’s election,

Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday he would continue to lead Japan as prime minister and press for quick talks with Donald Trump on trade after the Liberal Democratic party lost its majority in both houses of parliament for the first time.

Shigeru Ishiba likes the nitty gritty of policy and making military models, but his dream job as Japanese prime minister looked at risk of coming unstuck on Sunday.Seen as a safe pair of hands, he won the party leadership in September,

Japanese voters angry at inflation turned to other parties, notably the "Japanese first" Sanseito, which made strong gains with its "anti-globalist" drive reminiscent of US President Donald Trump's agenda.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will announce his resignation by the end of next month, Japanese media reported on Wednesday, following a bruising election defeat that cost his administration its upper house majority.

Ishiba, 68, a self-confessed defense “geek,” is the son of a regional governor and is from Japan’s small Christian minority. He won the party leadership in September last year, on his fifth try, to become the LDP’s 10th separate prime minister since 2000, all of them men.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces a critical test in Sunday’s upper house election. A loss could deepen political instability as his government struggles with rising prices, U.S. tariffs and voter dissatisfaction.

Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its partner Komeito won about 41 of the 125 upper house seats contested yesterday, short of the 50 needed to retain a majority, Nippon TV and TBS projected, based on exit polls.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied talk on Wednesday that he had decided to quit after a source and media reports said he plans to step down following a bruising upper house election defeat.