Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation on Sunday, amid mounting pressure from within his party following a crushing defeat in July’s parliamentary elections. The prime minister’s decision followed a private meeting Saturday with Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his longtime mentor, former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Instead, Ishiba confirmed that he would begin the process for a party leadership election to select his successor, making Monday’s planned decision unnecessary. With Ishiba’s resignation confirmed, the LDP is now expected to schedule a leadership election for early October. Potential contenders include Koizumi; former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative; and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, a centrist closely aligned with former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.