(Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Sunday he had decided to resign, ushering in a potentially lengthy period of policy paralysis at a shaky moment for the world’s fourth-largest economy.

Ishiba, 68, instructed his Liberal Democratic Party – which has governed Japan for almost all of the post-war era – to hold an emergency leadership race, he told a press conference, adding he would continue his duties until his successor was elected.

Here are comments from market analysts.

CHRISTOPHER WONG, CURRENCY STRATEGIST, OCBC, SINGAPORE:

“In the near term, political uncertainties in Japan may temporarily hinder the (Bank of Japan) from normalising policy, and this can undermine the yen. But yen weakness due to politics should reverse when uncertainty fades.

“Moreover, th

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