Japan PM Shigeru Ishiba resigns

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on Sunday that he will step down following growing calls from his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July's parliamentary election, news agency AP reported.

Earlier in the day, it was reported that Ishiba decided to resign to avoid a split within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

With Ishiba at the helm, the LDP-led coalition has lost its majority in elections for both houses of parliament since coming to power last year, amid voter anger over rising living costs.

LDP lawmakers are scheduled to vote on Monday whether to hold an extraordinary leadership election. Ishiba's government finalised details of a trade deal with the United States last week.

(With Reuters inputs)