Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided to resign to avoid a split within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Ishiba’s LDP-led coalition lost its upper house majority in an election in July. The announcement reported by the state broadcaster NHK today comes weeks after Ishiba denied reports he planned to resign over the defeat his LDP-led coalition suffered in the election. Mr Ishiba had said last Tuesday that he wanted to make sure the tariff deal struck with the United States was appropriately implemented, as he resisted calls to quit, saying that he would make a decision on how to take responsibility for the election loss at an appropriate time.