Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday he will step down from the top job, after less than a year in office. Ishiba has been in power since October 2024 and led a coalition between the big tent conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the centrist Komeito Party. Several members of Ishiba's LDP lost faith in him after his ruling coalition lost majorities in both houses of parliament over the course of the year. "I have decided to resign from the position of president of the Liberal Democratic Party," he said at a press conference on Sunday. Ishiba's resignation comes just a day before his party was to decide whether to hold an early leadership election, which would have been a virtual no-confidence vote against him if it had been approved. He intends to fulfill his duties until a new party leader is elected. The long-dominant LDP lost control of the lower house after snap elections last October, and then fell short of the 248-seat requirement for the upper house this July. Japanese PM to stay on after weak election result 02:46 Japan struggled to reach trade agreement with US Members of the LDP, mostly right-wing opponents, had been calling for Ishiba's resignation for more than a month after July's upper house election loss. It was the first time the LDP had lost a majority in both houses of parliament since the party's founding in 1955. However, Ishiba resisted the demands, saying that stepping down would put US tariff talks at risk. "Now that negotiations on US tariff measures have reached a conclusion, I believe this is the appropriate moment," Ishiba explained at the news conference on Sunday. "I have decided to step aside and make way for the next generation." US President Donald Trump signed an order on Thursday to lower tariffs on Japanese autos, with Washington finally moving to implement a trade pact negotiated with Tokyo in July, reducing the tariffs from the current 27.5% to 15%.