Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced that he will not run in the upcoming party leadership vote in September. Kishida, who was elected as president of the Liberal Democratic Party in 2021, is stepping down as his three-year term concludes. This decision comes amid declining public support, with his approval ratings falling below 20% due to recent party corruption scandals. Kishida’s resignation paves the way for Japan to have a new prime minister, as the winner of the party vote will succeed him since the LDP controls both houses of parliament.
In a news conference, Kishida emphasized the need for a “reborn” LDP in order to regain public trust in politics and tackle difficult situations in and outside of Japan. He called on aspiring party lawmakers to raise their hands to run for leadership and engage in active policy debate during the campaign. Kishida stated that once a new leader is decided, he hopes to see everyone unite to form a dream team that can achieve politics that garner public understanding. Kishida has been contemplating his possible resignation for some time but opted to wait until his key policies, including energy policy and political reforms, were on track.
Speculation on potential candidates to replace Kishida has focused on senior LDP lawmakers such as Toshimitsu Motegi, Taro Kono, Sanae Takaichi, and Yoko Kamikawa. The winner of the party election will replace Kishida as party president and be endorsed as the new prime minister in a parliamentary vote soon after. LDP executives are expected to decide on the date for the party election in the coming week. The resignation comes as a result of a corruption scandal that involved more than 80 LDP lawmakers and was tied to unreported political funds raised through tickets sold for party events. Kishida has taken steps to address the scandal, including removing Cabinet ministers and others from party executive posts and tightening political funds control laws.
Despite Kishida’s efforts to address the corruption scandal, his government has suffered losses in local elections earlier in the year, eroding his political clout and prompting calls from LDP lawmakers for a fresh face ahead of the next general election. Major losses in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly by elections in July further fueled the push for change. The scandal implicated a major party faction previously led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and revealed deep-rooted ties between the LDP and the Unification Church, for which Kishida has faced criticism. The upcoming party leadership vote in September presents an opportunity for the LDP to demonstrate that it is changing for the better under new leadership.
