Japanese PM Ishiba’s cabinet resigns ahead of parliament vote

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned with his cabinet on Monday ahead of a parliament vote later in the day to select the country’s next prime minister following the general election last month.

Cabinet ministers of the Ishiba administration submitted letters of resignation en masse at a cabinet meeting Monday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

As the ruling bloc of the LDP and Komeito holds less than a majority in the House of Representatives, Monday’s vote is likely to head to a runoff between Ishiba and major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda.

Ishiba is then expected to launch his new cabinet Monday night. Fresh faces for the cabinet are likely to include Keisuke Suzuki as justice minister, Taku Eto as agriculture minister, and Komeito’s Hiromasa Nakano as land minister. Other posts are expected to be filled by those from Ishiba’s first cabinet.

It will mark the first runoff in nearly 30 years.