TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told top officials of his ruling party that he will not run in the upcoming party leadership election in September, giving Japan a new prime minister, Japanese public broadcaster NHK and other media reported.
Kishida was elected president of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2021 and his three-year term ends in September.
His withdrawal from the race means that a new leader who wins his party’s votes will succeed him as prime minister, as the LDP controls both houses of parliament.
Kishida has been hit hard by his party’s corruption scandals and his approval ratings have fallen below 20 percent.
Kishida was expected to explain his decision at a press conference later on Monday.
Defeats in local elections earlier this year have weakened his influence, and LDP lawmakers have expressed a desire for a new face before the next parliamentary elections.
Since the corruption scandal broke, Kishida has sacked a number of ministers and others from party leadership positions, dissolved party factions that were criticized as a source of money-making politics, and passed a law to tighten controls on political funds. But support for his government has dwindled.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a news conference in Hiroshima, western Japan, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, after attending an annual ceremony to mark the 79th anniversary of the first atomic bombing. Photo credit: AP
The scandal centres on unreported political donations raised through ticket sales to party events. It affected more than 80 LDP lawmakers, most of whom belonged to a large party faction previously led by assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Ten people – lawmakers and their staff – were charged in January.
