TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed his intention on Sunday to step down following growing calls from his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July’s parliamentary election, Japan’s NHK public television reported.

U.S. tariffs prompt tougher talk from Japan’s leader

With elections coming in Japan, the threat of U.S. tariffs is forcing its prime minister to start talking tougher, and is getting people to rethink long-held assumptions about relations with the U.S.

Ishiba, who took office in October, had resisted growing calls from within his own party to resign for more than a month, saying such a step would cause a political vacuum when Japan faces key challenges in and outside the country.

His resignation plan comes a day before his Liberal Demo

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