Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Resigns

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has resigned from his position, as well as from his post as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), according to NHK.

The resignation comes weeks after Ishiba denied reports that he planned to resign following the LDP's defeat in the July elections, where it lost its majority in the upper house.

A spokesman for the prime minister's office did not comment on the news to Reuters. However, the Japanese government announced a press conference by Ishiba at 18:00 local time.

Ishiba reportedly resigned to avoid a split within his party, following pressure and talks with Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.