Paris/Tokyo, September 2025 — Within days of each other, France and Japan saw their governments collapse under very different pressures. Prime Minister François Bayrou of France was forced out after a no-confidence vote, while Japan’s Shigeru Ishiba resigned following a crushing electoral defeat. Together, their exits underline a global trend: governments across continents are finding themselves unable to withstand mounting political, economic, and social pressures.
France: Debt and Division
On 8 September 2025, the French National Assembly brought down Bayrou’s minority government by rejecting his €44-billion austerity budget plan. Lawmakers across the left and right united against spending cuts designed to address France’s mounting debt, exposing the deep fragmentation of parliament. President Emmanuel Macron, already governing without a strong majority, now faces the task of appointing yet another prime minister — a pattern that has become disturbingly frequent.
Public confidence in France’s institutions has eroded as voters express frustration with rising living costs, stagnant wages, and political deadlock. The inability to pass budgets without triggering collapse illustrates the fragility of governance in an era of polarised legislatures.
Japan: Electoral Backlash
Only a day earlier, on 7 September 2025, Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation. His Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), long considered the natural party of government, had suffered a bruising defeat in the July Upper House elections. Combined with earlier setbacks, the losses stripped the coalition of its majority and undermined Ishiba’s authority.
For Japan, the crisis reflects simmering discontent over rising consumer prices, an ageing economy, and waning trust in a party that has dominated politics for decades. Ishiba’s resignation highlights how quickly electoral setbacks can unravel political stability, even in one of the world’s most established democracies.
A Broader Pattern
France and Japan are not alone. Around the world, governments are grappling with strikingly similar vulnerabilities:
Nepal — In early September, protests led by a decentralised youth movement forced Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli to resign after violent clashes left at least 19 dead. Indonesia — Days later, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was abruptly dismissed amid public uproar over taxation and economic management. Norway — The ruling coalition fractured earlier this year, leaving Labour to govern in a minority after September’s elections. Slovakia — Mass demonstrations over foreign policy and governance have shaken confidence in the coalition, raising doubts about its durability.
Why Governments are Falling
Across regions, three common themes emerge:
Economic Pressures — Inflation, debt, and austerity debates are fueling public anger. Fragmented Politics — Coalitions and minority governments struggle to survive in increasingly polarised parliaments. Public Distrust — Youth movements, social media mobilisation, and disillusion with traditional parties have created volatile political environments.
A Global Shakedown
While the triggers differ — austerity in France, elections in Japan, protests in Nepal — the pattern is the same: governments with weakened legitimacy are falling faster than they can adapt. The mid-2020s are shaping up to be a period of profound political turbulence, where even established democracies are no longer insulated from the storms of public discontent.