TOKYO, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Toshimitsu Motegi, a former foreign minister of Japan, intends to run in the ruling party's presidential election following Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's decision to resign, Kyodo News reported Monday.

Ishiba announced his decision to step down as the head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sunday, amid growing calls for him to take responsibility for the party's election setback.

In a landmark political setback in July, Japan's ruling coalition lost its majority in the House of Councillors, signaling deep public dissatisfaction with the government.

The defeat follows a similar outcome in the 2024 House of Representatives election, leaving the ruling bloc a minority in both chambers of the parliament, a historic first since the LDP's founding in 1955. ■